Two Americans Killed in Afghanistan, Another in Iraq

The two Americans killed in Afghanistan this week have been identified as Army Sgt. Douglas J. Riney, 26, and Michael G. Sauro, 40, while another US service member was reportedly killed supporting Kurdish forces in Iraq.Riney was from Fairview, Illinois, while Sauro came from McAlester, Oklahoma.They were killed after a man wearing an Afghan National Army uniform opened fire near Camp Morehead, Kabul, killing Sauro and Riney and wounding two other Americans.[caption id="attachment_8581" align="aligncenter" width="900"]

Mike Sauro. Source: Facebook[/caption]The two injured civilians were named as Richard “Rick” Alford and Rodney Henderson. Both suffered minor injuries and are recuperating. They will return to the United States soon.According to CBS News, Sgt. Riney entered active-duty service in July 2012 as a petroleum supply specialist and was assigned to the Support Squadron, 3^rd Cavalry Regiment, 1^st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, since December 2012.He had been deployed to Afghanistan once before, from July 2014 to February 2015. His awards include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, four Army Achievement Medals and various other decorations.Michael G. Sauro was employed by the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester, Oklahoma. He deployed to Afghanistan on Sep. 17 and was scheduled to return home in March.He had previously deployed to Afghanistan from 2012-2013 and Iraq in 2009."Mike was the type of person who no matter what you asked of him, he was always willing to lend a helping hand to everybody," said Deborah Schreiner, chief of HAZMAT Training at the Defense Ammunition Center. "He was such a joy to work with and always so upbeat. He was an exceptional person and employee.”

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist Among Americans Killed This Week

On Thursday, a US service member was killed by an improvised explosive device in northern Iraq, officials said.The Associated Press reported that the soldier was killed near the town of Bashiqa, which is north of Mosul. He was an explosive ordnance disposal specialist supporting Kurdish Peshmerga efforts to retake Mosul.The EOD soldier will be named when his family is informed of the death.