U.S. soldier from San Luis Obispo dies in Afghanistan

A U.S. soldier from San Luis Obispo has died in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced late Monday.

Sgt. 1st Class Robert R. Boniface, 34, died Sunday in a non-combat-related incident that is under investigation, the Department of Defense said. He died in Afghanistan’s Logar Province, a rugged part of the country near the eastern border with Pakistan.

He served in the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, an elite unit of Green Berets that when at home is based at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Boniface was in Afghanistan supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

Green Berets are continually deployed to Afghanistan, where they commonly train and work closely with Afghan government forces.

The Army late Monday did not disclose additional information about Boniface’s service history or his deployment.

This story was originally published March 20, 2017 at 9:43 PM with the headline "U.S. soldier from San Luis Obispo dies in Afghanistan."