US convoy struck by roadside bomb in Afghanistan

A U.S. convoy in Afghanistan was struck by a roadside bomb Monday and subsequently engaged in a firefight, according to a military statement.

No American troops were killed in the incident, the statement said. Afghan officials have reported civilian casualties.

The convoy was carrying U.S. and Afghan personnel through Nangarhar Province when it was hit by the roadside bomb and then attacked by small arms fire, according to the statement from U.S. Forces Afghanistan.

“The convoy returned fire in self defense, and there were no U.S. casualties,” the statement said.

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Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar, told media outlets that a man and his two sons, ages 8 and 10, were killed in the firefight.

The U.S. statement said the military has “not received any official allegations of civilian casualties.”

“We take civilian casualties very seriously, and all allegations are thoroughly investigated,” the statement added.

The statement said the incident is under investigation and that “more information will be released as appropriate.”

The bombing and firefight come after three U.S. soldiers were killed in apparent insider attack on Saturday.

Both incidents took place in Nangarhar, where the Afghan branch of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has taken root.

The incidents come as President Trump weighs a Pentagon request to send thousands more troops to the country.

U.S. military officers have requested 3,000 to 5,000 more troops to break what they have described as a stalemate against the Taliban.

The United States currently has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan on a dual mission of training, advising and assisting Afghan troops in their fight against the Taliban and conducting counterterrorism missions against groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda.