Minn. soldier from Rosemount killed in Afghanistan

Spc. Andrew Wilfahrt
In this undated photo provided by the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt (right) is seen during a military ceremony. Wilfahrt died Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, when insurgents attacked his unit with a homemade bomb.
Photo Courtesy of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command

Military officials have announced the death of a soldier from Rosemount who was serving in Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense says Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt, 31, died Sunday when insurgents attacked his unit with a homemade bomb.

He was assigned to the 504th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks, in Hawaii.

Public affairs officer Lt. Col. Matthew Garner said the attack happened when the military police officer was on patrol.

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"He died Feb. 27, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his patrol using an improvised explosive device," Garner said.

Wilfahrt was serving his first deployment. He enlisted in the Army in January of 2009, and had been in Afghanistan since July of last year.

Lt. Col. Garner said he had a few months left on his one-year tour.

"[Training] the Afghan national police so that they could then provide the safety and security for their communities," Garner said.

A school official who knew Wilfahrt from Rosemount High School declined to talk on tape, but he remembered Wilfahrt as a diligent student who loved music and performed in choir and the band.

Wilfahrt graduated from Rosemount in 1997. He was single and is survived by his parents.