At least 657 US military deaths in Afghanistan region since 2001, Defense Department says

US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 657

As of Sunday, July 12, 2009, at least 657 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures Friday at 10 a.m. EDT.

Of those, the military reports 489 were killed by hostile action.

Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 68 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, three were the result of hostile action. The military lists these other locations as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Jordan; Kenya; Kyrgyzstan; Philippines; Seychelles; Sudan; Tajikistan; Turkey; and Yemen.

There were also four CIA officer deaths and one military civilian death.

The latest deaths reported by the military:

— Two U.S. Marines died Saturday from an explosion in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

The latest identifications reported by the military:

— No identifications reported.

On the Net:

www.defenselink.mil/news/