At least 791 US military deaths in Afghanistan region since 2001, Defense Department says

US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 791

As of Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009, at least 791 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 Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT.

Of those, the military reports 611 were killed by hostile action.

Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 72 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:

— No new deaths reported.

The latest identifications reported by the military:

— Army Spc. Kevin O. Hill, 23, Brooklyn, N.Y., died Sunday at Contingency Outpost Dehanna, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and indirect fire; assigned to the 576th Mobility Augmentation Company, Fort Carson, Colo.

— The following eight soldiers died Saturday in Kamdesh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their contingency outpost with small arms, rocket-propelled grenade and indirect fire. They were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.:

— Staff Sgt. Vernon W. Martin, 25, Savannah, Ga.

— Sgt. Justin T. Gallegos, 27, Tucson, Ariz.

— Sgt. Joshua M. Hardt, 24, Applegate, Calif.

— Sgt. Joshua J. Kirk, 30, South Portland, Maine.

— Sgt. Michael P. Scusa, 22, Villas, N.J.

— Spc. Christopher T. Griffin, 24, Kincheloe, Mich.

— Spc. Stephan L. Mace, 21, Lovettsville, Va.

— Pfc. Kevin C. Thomson, 22, Reno, Nev.

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