Afghanistan’s Taliban killed a Georgian soldier and injured three on Thursday night amid a nationwide offensive.
Two Afghan civilians were also killed when a suicide bomber disguised beneath a woman’s in a burqa rammed his motorcycle into a NATO convoy near the town of Qarabagh, north of Kabul.
The former Soviet republic of Georgia is not a NATO member but has some 900 troops in Afghanistan as part of the US-led occupation.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid took responsibility for the attack on Friday — claiming 11 US troops were killed.
Another Taliban suicide attack on a NATO convoy on Wednesday killed two US soldiers.
The top US commander in Afghanistan general John Nicholson said: "The commitment of Georgia as our largest non-NATO contributor is vital to our mission."
But on Thursday anonymous US government officials claimed Mr Trump repeatedly suggested Defence Secretary James Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff chair General Joseph Dunford should sack Gen Nicholson at a heated meeting with top brass on July 19.
"I want to find out why we've been there for 17 years," he reportedly told the meeting in the White House Situation Room. "We aren't winning. We are losing."
Hawkish Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bob Corker urged Mr Trump to solider on in Afghanistan.
“If you don't listen to the generals... you're going to wind up losing Afghanistan like you did Iraq,” Mr Graham said.
Before his presidential bid Mr Trump was an outspoken critic of the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
But in April he gave Mr Mattis unprecedented autonomy over military operations abroad, including authority to order airstrikes or commando raids on suspected terrorists in countries such as Yemen without White House approval.
In June anonymous government officials said Mr Trump had given Mr Mattis the power to set troop levels in Afghanistan — which he planned to increase by thousands.
Yesterday the Taliban claimed they had captured an Afghan Army base and four checkpoints in the Mardyan district of northern Jowzjan province.
And in southern Helmand province they stormed a market in the Gareshk district and fired at a nearby police station — although no casualties were reported.
On Thursday a suicide car bomber hit a police outpost in Gareshk, killing two officers.
A Taliban attack early yesterday on a police outpost in Zabul province killed four officers. Three more were killed on Thursday in Kandahar province.
Two Afghan civilians were also killed when a suicide bomber disguised beneath a woman’s in a burqa rammed his motorcycle into a NATO convoy near the town of Qarabagh, north of Kabul.
The former Soviet republic of Georgia is not a NATO member but has some 900 troops in Afghanistan as part of the US-led occupation.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid took responsibility for the attack on Friday — claiming 11 US troops were killed.
Another Taliban suicide attack on a NATO convoy on Wednesday killed two US soldiers.
The top US commander in Afghanistan general John Nicholson said: "The commitment of Georgia as our largest non-NATO contributor is vital to our mission."
But on Thursday anonymous US government officials claimed Mr Trump repeatedly suggested Defence Secretary James Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff chair General Joseph Dunford should sack Gen Nicholson at a heated meeting with top brass on July 19.
"I want to find out why we've been there for 17 years," he reportedly told the meeting in the White House Situation Room. "We aren't winning. We are losing."
Hawkish Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bob Corker urged Mr Trump to solider on in Afghanistan.
“If you don't listen to the generals... you're going to wind up losing Afghanistan like you did Iraq,” Mr Graham said.
Before his presidential bid Mr Trump was an outspoken critic of the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
But in April he gave Mr Mattis unprecedented autonomy over military operations abroad, including authority to order airstrikes or commando raids on suspected terrorists in countries such as Yemen without White House approval.
In June anonymous government officials said Mr Trump had given Mr Mattis the power to set troop levels in Afghanistan — which he planned to increase by thousands.
Yesterday the Taliban claimed they had captured an Afghan Army base and four checkpoints in the Mardyan district of northern Jowzjan province.
And in southern Helmand province they stormed a market in the Gareshk district and fired at a nearby police station — although no casualties were reported.
On Thursday a suicide car bomber hit a police outpost in Gareshk, killing two officers.
A Taliban attack early yesterday on a police outpost in Zabul province killed four officers. Three more were killed on Thursday in Kandahar province.