File Photo: A soldier from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment places flags at grave sites during the "Flags-In" ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on May 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- A Utah mayor was killed in Afghanistan in an insider attack while serving with the state's National Guard, the U.S. Department of Defense said Sunday.

Major Brent Taylor, 39, was killed Saturday in an insider attack launched by a member of the Afghan security forces, according to a statement from NATO's mission Resolute Support.

The attacker was promptly killed by other Afghan soldiers.

Taylor served as the mayor of North Ogden, a town in the state of Utah. The state's Senator Orrin Hatch said his prayers are with Taylor's wife and seven young children.

U.S. military deaths have surpassed 2,400 since the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001.