U.S. Military Casualties Reach 1,000 in Terrorism Campaign

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2010 -- Operation Enduring Freedom – the American military's worldwide counterterrorism mission launched in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 – reached a tragic milestone today, with more than 1,000 American service members killed in the campaign, according to the latest Pentagon report.

The mission's name has become synonymous with the war in Afghanistan as the U.S. first launched combat operations there in October 2001, but it actually refers to any military deployments around the world dedicated to fighting terrorism. American service members have died in more than a dozen countries around the world.

Of the 1,001 U.S. troops and two department civilians killed in Operation Enduring Freedom, the majority have lost their lives in the war in Afghanistan. The number of U.S. fatalities in or around Afghanistan stands at 925. The Pentagon's definition of "in or around" refers to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

U.S. military casualties have also occurred in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Yemen.

"Whether it's one or a thousand, every single loss of a soldier, sailor, airman and Marine is keenly felt by the entire military and by all those who work in this building and by all of our family and friends," said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morell. "Our heart goes out to these [latest] losses...just as they did, and just as much as they did...to the first few."

The deaths of more than 1,000 U.S. military service members in the effort the Bush administration called the "war on terror" is a sobering reminder of the ongoing deployments around the world that have faded somewhat in the consciousness of many Americans.

For example, there has been a long-term U.S. military presence in the Horn of Africa since late 2002. 1,400 American service members make up Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa which is based in Djibouti.

Their mission is to partner with countries in the region to take on terrorism threats. They emphasize a humanitarian and training approach that counters any possible al Qaeda influences in the region, most notably from Somalia.

Casualties can result even though U.S. troops try not to engage in fighting. Ten Marines died there in February 2006 when two helicopters collided on a training mission.

U.S. military forces have also served in the Philippines, where the U.S. has provided advisors, equipment and financial assistance in taking on the Abu Sayaff insurgency there. Seventeen American service members have died there since U.S. troops began their mission in January 2002.

Six U.S. service members have died at the detention facility at the Naval base in Guantanamo, Cuba.