The U.S. Department of Defense has identified a U.S. Army soldier who died of injuries he suffered in Afghanistan.

Officials say 26-year-old Army Spc. Nickolas Welch of Mill City, Ore. died Tuesday in Bethesda, Md.

Department of Defense officials say Welch was injured on July 23 when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in the Wardak Province, which is west of Kabul. Authorities say Welch was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Welch was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which is based at Fort Stewart, Ga.

Tags: Fort Stewart, Army, U.S. Department of Defense, Afghanistan, fallen soldier, 3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army, spc. nikolas welch