Downstate Illinois Soldier Killed In Afghanistan; 'Friendly Fire' A Possibility

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(CBS) – A soldier from Bloomington, Illinois was one of two killed this week in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense confirmed Friday.

Sgt. Joshua P. Rodgers, 22, from downstate and Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas, 23, of Kettering, Ohio, died Thursday from "small arms fire" while supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel in the Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

Sgt. Joshua P. Rodgers, 22, from downstate Illinois and Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas, 23, of Kettering, Ohio, were killed Thursday in Afghanistan. (U.S. Defense Department/CBS News)

Both soldiers were assigned to 3^rd Battalion, 75^th Ranger Regiment, in Fort Benning, Ga.

An investigation is underway, the Defense Department said. The sergeants could have been killed by "friendly fire," rather than enemy insurgents, military officials told reporters Friday.

The region where Rodgers and Thomas were killed is where the U.S. military recently dropped a powerful explosive known as MOAB, or "Mother of All Bombs," on an ISIS compound.