ATLANTA — U.S. military officials say a South Carolina soldier assigned to a Georgia Army base has been killed during combat in Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense on Friday identified him as 32-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Andrew Celiz of Summerville, South Carolina.

Officials said Celiz died Thursday of wounds from enemy small arms fire.

Celiz was based at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia.

The U.S. has about 15,000 troops in Afghanistan. The department's casualty list shows nearly 7,000 U.S. military personnel have been killed, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan, in operations since Oct. 7, 2001.