(CNN) — The death of a U.S. Marine in southern Afghan combat has ushered in a grim milestone.
Cpl. Taylor J. Baune of Andover, Minnesota, is the 2,000th American to die in Operation Enduring Freedom, the name for what the Bush administration characterized as the “war on terror” after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The operation began with the invasion of Afghanistan and the toppling of the Taliban, which harbored the al Qaeda terror network that conducted the attacks. But there were military actions and activities in other countries, nearby and far-flung.
Most coalition casualties have occurred in Afghanistan, but others occurred in Pakistan, Uzbekistan. Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Yemen.
The number of Americans who’ve died in Afghanistan itself totals 1,884.
