US military deaths in Afghanistan, Pakistan at least 423

As of Friday, April 18, 2008, at least 423 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 April 12 at 10 a.m. EDT.

Of those, the military reports 290 were killed by hostile action.

Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 64 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, two 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.

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The latest deaths reported by the military:

_ No deaths reported.

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The latest identifications reported by the military:

_ Marine 1st Sgt. Luke J. Mercardante, 35, Athens, Ga.; killed Tuesday in Kandahar province Afghanistan during combat operations; assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejuene, N.C.

_ Marine Cpl. Kyle W. Wilks, 24, Rogers, Ark.; killed Tuesday in Kandahar province Afghanistan during combat operations; assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejuene, N.C.

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On the Net:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/