The soldier, Sgt. Rodolfo Rodriguez Jr., 28, from Pharr, Texas, was on foot patrol Wednesday when he was killed by the blast of a pressure-sensitive, homemade land mine.
Rodriguez is the 13th soldier of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry, to be killed in combat since the Fairbanks-based brigade began a one-year deployment in Afghanistan in mid-April. Six of those deaths have occurred in the last 30 days, all but one from attacks in Kandahar province, a Taliban stronghold.
The Army said Rodriguez arrived in Alaska in March 2010 and was assigned to the Stryker force's 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. He previously deployed on two one-year tours in Iraq as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry at Fort Bragg, N.C. He joined the Army in 2006.
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