Boisean among 11 soldiers injured in Afghanistan while fighting ISIS

A Boise man was among 11 soldiers wounded in Afghanistan this week in an attack that also left one Utah National Guard soldier dead, according to the Salt Lake Tribune and KSL.com.

Capt. Dan Nelson suffered a serious concussion in an attack in eastern Afghanistan, according to his mother, Daleen Nelson. Daleen said her son is expected to recover.

Nelson, who played football for Centennial High School in the early 2000s, is a member of the U.S. Army, Daleen said.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, several members of the Utah Guard were fighting alongside Afghan army forces against the Islamic State on Wednesday when an attack injured several soldiers and killed another. Military officials have not yet identified any of the wounded or the deceased, and the extent of those injuries weren’t available.

It wasn’t immediately clear where exactly the soldiers were or what branch of service all those injured were affiliated with. Military officials did not offer a timeline for when identities of the deceased and all those injured would be made public.

“My heart aches for the loss and sacrifice of our members and their families,” Maj. Gen. Jefferson Burton, adjutant general of the Utah National Guard, said in a news release. “I know that what we do is dangerous and important work for our country’s defense, but this realization does little to console me during times of loss such as this.”

The Tribune reports that 11 U.S. service members have died in Afghanistan this year, up from 10 deaths in 2016.

This story was originally published August 19, 2017 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Boisean among 11 soldiers injured in Afghanistan while fighting ISIS."