American death toll in Afghanistan hits grim milestone

Thu Jun 14, 2012

After more than 10 years of war in Afghanistan, the U.S. reached a milestone on Wednesday when the 2,000th American died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Marine Cpl. Taylor J. Baune of Andover, Minn., was killed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, according to the Star-Tribune. Baune had married his wife just three months prior to his deployment.

CBS notes that the U.S. military reached another milestone this week, as the war in Afghanistan has now lasted more than 3,900 days, along with costing 2,000 American forces their lives.

In early May, President Barack Obama flew to Afghanistan to finalize an agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the U.S. to cede control of military operations by the end of 2014. Huffington Post

FACTS & FIGURES

The U.S. War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001 as the U.S. and its allies launched Operation Enduring Freedom. Guardian

According to the U.S. Defense Budget, the estimated cost of deploying one U.S. soldier in Afghanistan is over $1 million dollars per year. RT

In Afghanistan, about 90,000 U.S. service members remain deployed, down from a peak of more than 100,000 last year. AP

AT/ARA