Two special forces soldiers from New Mexico, Texas killed during attack in Afghanistan

A U.S. Army soldier from Las Cruces was one of two special forces soldiers killed Saturday in an attack in Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense on Sunday identified the soldiers killed as Sgt. 1st. Class Antonio Rey Rodriguez, 28, of Las Cruces, and Sgt. 1st Class Javier Jaguar Gutierrez, 28, of San Antonio, Texas.

The soldiers were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

Rodriguez was born in Las Cruces and was a 2009 graduate of Mayfield High School. He joined the U.S. Army in October of 2009, according to a news release from U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

"Sgt. 1st Class Rodriguez was selfless and served honorably; he was certainly among the best in our unit," Col. John W. Sannes, 7th Special Forces Group Commander, said in a statement. "Here at the Red Empire, we take care of our own, and Sgt. 1st Class Rodriguez' family will forever be a part of us, we will assist them in any way we can to help them through these trying times."

Both soldiers were promoted posthumously. 

The two soldiers were killed and six others wounded in an insider attack in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province late Saturday when an Afghan in an Afghan army uniform opened fire, the Associated Press reported.

Army Special Operations Command said that Rodriguez had been assigned to the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and he had voluntarily re-classified as a Spanish cryptologic linguist in 2018.

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Rodriguez was deployed eight times with the 75th Ranger Regiment and twice with 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan.

Gutierrez was born in Jacksonville, N.C., and joined the Army in 2009 first as an infrantryman before being selected for Special Forces.

Gutierrez deployed once to Iraq with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment and once to Afghanistan while assigned to 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the Army said in a news release.

"Sgt. 1st Class Gutierrez was a warrior that exemplified selfless service and a commitment to the mission, both values that we embody here in the 7th Special Forces Group," Sannes said in a statement.

Six members of the U.S. military have been killed in Afghanistan since the start of 2020, including Saturday’s deaths, the Associated Press reported. Last year, 22 U.S. service personnel died in combat in Afghanistan.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.