KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Air Force Lt. Col. John D. Loftis, 44, of Paducah, Ky., died Saturday from wounds received during an attack at the Interior Ministry in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced late Sunday.

Loftis was assigned to the 866th Air Expeditionary Squadron in Kabul.

The DOD has yet to name the captain who was also killed in the attack.

Loftis was a member of the 866th Air Expeditionary Squadron and was working in the ministry as a chief adviser to a program that developed a team of U.S. service personnel skilled in Afghan and Pakistani culture and language, according to a report in the (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal.

He spoke the Pashto language proficiently and had limited skills in Dari and Arabic, according to the Defense Department.

Loftis leaves behind a wife and two daughters, the Courier-Journal reported.

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