18, 2011 07:12 PM
The Arizona Republic-12 News breaking News Team
The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the death of a Phoenix soldier fighting in Afghanistan.
Spc. Michael D. Elm, 25, was killed by an improvised explosive device Oct. 14 in Khost province. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based in Fort Knox, Ky.
Elm's unit has been a part of Operation Steel Rain, which seeks to disrupt insurgent cells in the Tirzaye district of Khost.
A division press release described the cells, known as the Haqqani network, as a militant Islamic organization linked to the Taliban and al-Qaida. It is believed to be based along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Haqqani insurgents have been blamed for a recent series of attacks that have claimed the lives of Afghan officials and U.S. and Afghan troops.
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