WAR IN AFGHANISTAN Ohioans killed in suicide bombing

Combined Dispatches

COLUMBUS

Three U.S. soldiers killed in a suicide attack this week in Afghanistan were from Ohio, as were several others seriously wounded in the bombing, the Ohio National Guard said Thursday.

The soldiers killed in the attack Wednesday in Maimanah, the capital of Faryab province, were from the Guard’s 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

The brigade is based in Columbus but includes soldiers from across Ohio, the Guard said. All three soldiers killed were from Franklin County.

Among the victims was Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Hannon, 44, who also worked as chief legal counsel for the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.

“Shawn felt it was a privilege to serve his country and did so honorably for almost 20 years. He was proud to be a soldier and all who loved him knew it,” his family said in a statement.

The other dead victims are 36-year-old Capt. Nicholas J. Rozanski of Dublin and 45-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey J. Rieck of Columbus.

A spokesman for the Guard said the wounded from the attack are: Pvt. 1st Class Jacob Williams of Summersville, Ohio; Corp. Eberett Haworth of Olmsted Township; Spec. Austin Weigle of Bryan, Ohio; and 1st Lt. Christopher Rosebrock, of Hicksville.

The attack by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed at least 13 people Wednesday at a park in a relatively peaceful area of northern Afghanistan. It was part of an increase in violence at the start of the spring fighting season.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility. The bomber’s target was unclear. The attacks appear to be part of an increase in violence. The Taliban are targeting Afghan and NATO forces.