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A Fort Richardson soldier was killed Friday in Afghanistan after he and six other soldiers were attacked by enemy forces, the U.S. Army Alaska said.
The Department of Defense announced the death on Sunday. Second Lt. Darryn Andrews, 34, of Dallas was killed in the Paktika Province. He and the other soldiers were hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. The other soldiers were wounded, according to a written statement from Army spokesman Chuck Canterbury. Andrews and the solders were trying to recover their vehicle, which had been struck by an improvised explosive device, the statement said. All the soldiers were assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division. Andrews joined the Army in June 2004, according to Fort Rich. He arrived in Alaska in February 2009 and was commissioned as an infantry lieutenant. His next of kin have been notified. As of Sunday, 12 U.S. Army Alaska soldiers have died in combat during Iraq and Afghanistan service, the Army said.