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Coalition casualties in Afghanistan

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"Casualties of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan" redirects here. For civilian casualties, see Civilian casualties of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present).
Coalition fatalities per month since the start of the war.[1]
Coalition deaths in Afghanistan by country

 USA: 1,783*
 UK: 398
 Canada: 158*
 France: 82
 Germany: 56
 Italy: 46
 Denmark: 42
 Poland: 37
 Spain: 34*
 Australia: 32
 Netherlands: 25
 Romania: 19
 Georgia: 12
 Norway: 10
 Estonia: 9
 Hungary: 7
 Sweden: 5
 Czech Republic: 5
 New Zealand: 4
 Latvia: 3
 Albania: 2
 Finland: 2
 Jordan: 2
 Portugal: 2
 South Korea: 2
 Turkey: 2
 Belgium: 1
 Lithuania: 1

TOTAL: 2,769

As of December 29, 2011, there have been 2,765 coalition deaths in Afghanistan as part of ongoing coalition operations (Operation Enduring Freedom and ISAF) since the invasion in 2001.[1] In this total, the American figure is for deaths "In and Around Afghanistan" which, as defined by the U.S. Department of Defense, includes some deaths in Pakistan and Uzbekistan[2] and the deaths of 12 CIA operatives.[3]

In addition to these deaths in Afghanistan, another 31 U.S. and one Canadian soldier were killed in other countries while supporting operations in Afghanistan. The total also omits the 62 Spanish soldiers returning from Afghanistan who died in Turkey on May 26, 2003, when their plane crashed.

During the first five years of the war, the vast majority of coalition deaths were American, but between 2006 and 2011, a significant proportion were amongst other nations, particularly the United Kingdom and Canada which have been assigned responsibility for the flashpoint provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, respectively. This is because in 2006, ISAF expanded its jurisdiction to the southern regions of Afghanistan which were previously under the direct authority of the U.S. military. As Robert Gates pointed out on June 10, 2011, in his "last policy speech" as U.S. Secretary of Defense, "more than 850 troops from non-U.S. NATO members have made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. For many allied nations these were the first military casualties they have taken since the end of the Second World War."[4] Additionally, there have been 57 fatalities among troops from the non-NATO contributors to the coalition (Australia, Sweden, Finland, Georgia, South Korea, Jordan and New Zealand).

With 711 Operation Enduring Freedom and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) deaths, 2010 was the deadliest year for foreign military troops since the U.S. invasion in 2001, continuing the trend that has occurred every year since 2003.[1]

In 2009, there were 7,228 improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in Afghanistan, a 120% increase over 2008, and a record for the war.[5][6] Of the 512 foreign soldiers killed in 2009, 448 were killed in action. 280 of those were killed by IEDs.[7] In 2010, IED attacks in Afghanistan wounded 3,366 U.S. soldiers, which is nearly 60% of the total IED-wounded since the start of the war.[8] Of the 711 foreign soldiers killed in 2010, 630 were killed in action. 368 of those were killed by IEDs, which is around 36% of the total IED-killed since the start of the war to date.[1] Insurgents planted 14,661 IEDs in 2010, a 62% increase over the previous year.[9]

Details regarding the fatalities

United States

Main article: United States Forces casualties in the war in Afghanistan

Of the United States deaths, more than 1,475 have died in hostile action. Included in these numbers are 12 CIA operatives that were killed in Afghanistan: seven in a suicide bomb attack on a military base, two in an ambush, one in a shooting attack at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, one in a prison uprising in November 2001, and one in an accident.[3] The independent website iCasualties has put the number of U.S. deaths at 1,783.[10] This number is by 13 higher than the Department of Defense's tally which is 1,770, when including the intelligence operatives.[11]

As of December 23, 2011, 15,138 United States soldiers have been wounded in action in Afghanistan.[11]

Australian

Main article: Operation Slipper

The Australian forces in Afghanistan have suffered 32 fatalities. 213 soldiers have been wounded.[12]

British

Main article: British Forces casualties in Afghanistan since 2001

As of February 13, 2012, the British forces have suffered 398 fatalities and 1,834 wounded in action, another 3,584 have suffered from disease or non-battle injuries. Of these, 352 soldiers were killed as a result of hostile action, while 45 are known to have died either as a result of illness, non-combat injuries or accidents, or have not yet officially been assigned a cause of death pending the outcome of an investigation.[13][14] The vast majority of fatalities have taken place since the redeployment of British forces to the Taliban stronghold of Helmand province in 2006, as only five men died between April 2002 and early March 2006.

Canadian

Main article: Canadian Forces casualties in Afghanistan

Canada's role in Afghanistan, consisting of operations against the Taliban and other insurgents in southern Afghanistan (Kandahar Province), has resulted in the largest number of fatal casualties for any single Canadian military mission since the Korean War. A total of 157* members of the Canadian Forces have died in Afghanistan between February 2002 and October 29, 2011. Of these, 132 were due to enemy actions, including 97 due to IEDs or landmines, 22 due to RPG, small arms or mortar fire, and 13 due to suicide bomb attacks. Another six Canadian soldiers died due to friendly fire while conducting combat operations. An additional 19 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan as a result of accidents or non-combat circumstances; 6 in vehicle accidents, 3 unspecified non-combat-related deaths, 3 suicide deaths, 2 in a helicopter crash, 2 from accidental falls, 2 from accidental gunshots and 1 death from an illness.[15][16] 635 soldiers had been wounded in action and 1,412 received non-battle injuries since April 2002, up to their withdrawal in December 2011.[17]

In addition to these troop deaths in Afghanistan, 1 Canadian soldier was found dead of non-combat-related causes at Camp Mirage, a forward logistics base in the United Arab Emirates near Dubai.

Danish

Denmark, a NATO member, has about 750 troops in Afghanistan, mostly stationed in Helmand province as part of NATO's International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF).

Denmark is the country in ISAF that has had the largest number of casualties compared to the country's population. Out of all the countries, Denmark is also the nation which has the largest percentage of its soldiers who have died. Also, Denmark is also among the nations with most troops deployed relative to size.[18]

Denmark's first three deaths were the result of an accident during the disposal of a Soviet-era anti-aircraft missile in 2002. With a new mandate issued by the Danish parliament in 2006, Danish military operations have transformed from relatively safe non-combat operations in the centre of the country to combat operations alongside the British contingent in the violent southern Helmand province. 34 soldiers have been killed in various hostile engagements or as a result of friendly fire, and 7 have been killed in non-combat related incidents, bringing the number of Danish fatalities to 41.[19][20] More than 100 soldiers have been wounded in action.[21]

Dutch

A total of 25 Dutch servicemen were killed in Afghanistan.[22] The first two Dutch fatalities were soldiers killed in an accidental helicopter crash in 2006. Since then, one pilot died in a non-hostile F-16 crash, and one soldier committed suicide at Kamp Holland. In 2007, one soldier was accidentally killed when a Patria armoured vehicle overturned at a river crossing near Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan. After that 19 soldiers were killed in action between 2007 and 2010. Finally, the last soldier to die was from an illness a month before the contingent withdrew from the country in December 2010. 140 soldiers were wounded in action.[23]

Estonian

Nine Estonian soldiers have died in Afghanistan: eight have been killed in action and one in an accident. Over 60 soldiers have been wounded in action.[24]

French

Main article: French forces in Afghanistan

A total of 82 French soldiers have died thus far.[25] 61 soldiers have been killed in action, of the others: seven have died in vehicle accidents,four were killed by an Afghan soldier who turned and fired their rifle on French soldiers during training, one in a helicopter crash, two committed suicide, two have drowned, one was killed by a lightning strike, two died from a non-hostile gunshot wound, one died in an accidental explosion, and one died of unknown causes.

Main article: Uzbin valley ambush

The largest number of soldiers killed was when French troops were ambushed in the area of Sirobi, some 50 km (31 mi) east of Kabul, in August 2008. Ten French troops were killed and a further 21 wounded in the attack - the heaviest loss of troops France has suffered since deploying to Afghanistan in 2001.

Georgian

Georgia has thus far suffered 12 deaths and 38 injuries.[26][27] The first Georgian fatality occurred on September 5, 2010, when 28 years old colonel Mukhran Shukvani was killed in an IED attack. Corporal Alexandre Gitolendia was also seriously wounded in the attack, bringing Georgian casualties to 1 KIA and 1 WIA.[28] Four more Georgian soldiers were killed by a landmine during combat operations on October 1, 2010, in Helmland.[29] On February 21, 2011 Georgia lost another soldier, George Avaliani, while two others were wounded.[30] On March 14, 2011, one of the two injured died in a hospital in Germany and on May 27, 2011 another soldier died. On June 21 a ninth Georgian soldier died of injuries sustained during an attack.[31][32][33] On August 31, 2011, junior sergeant Rezo Beridze was killed by sniper fire during a patrol mission,[34] Corporal Besik Naniashvili died on December 30, 2011,[35] January 6 Corporal Shalva Pailodze got killed, bringing the total fatal casaulties of the Republic of Georgia to 12.[36]

German

Main article: German Armed Forces casualties in Afghanistan

A total of 53 German soldiers and 3 police officers were killed. 245 service personnel have been wounded in action.[37]

Hungarian

Seven Hungarians died in Afghanistan. Two EOD members were killed by IEDs. Two were killed in a convoy attack by the Taliban. Two died in a vehicle accident during a convoy-escort task. One died because of heart attack.

Italian

A total of 46 Italians have died in Afghanistan: 31 killed in action (Of the 31, one had died from injuries sustained a week before. The soldier had been captured and was injured in the raid), seven died in vehicle accidents, two of a heart attack, one due to an accidental weapon discharge, one of illness, one in an accidental airplane crash and one committed suicide.[38][39]

Jordanian

A member of the Jordanian spy agency Dairat al-Mukhabarat al-Ammah, was killed in the Forward Operating Base Chapman attack. Also, a Jordanian soldier was killed and three were wounded while escorting a humanitarian convoy in Logar province on May 22, 2011.[40]

New Zealand

Two New Zealand soldiers have been killed in Bamyan Province. Lieutenant Timothy O'Donnell was killed after his convoy was ambushed on a notorious stretch of road in the province. And Private Kirifi Mila when the Humvee he was in rolled down a 30-metre cliff. A member of the New Zealand SAS was killed in Kabul on 18 August 2011.[41] Another member of the New Zealand SAS was killed on 27 September 2011 in Wardak province.[citation needed]

Norwegian

10 Norwegian soldiers have been killed in action in Afghanistan.[42] 830 soldiers have been wounded in action or injured in accidents, of which, 26 were considered as trauma cases.[43]

Polish

34 Polish soldiers (including a military civilian medic) have been killed in action, one died in a vehicle accident and two died due to a non-combat cause.[44][45] At least 100 soldiers have been wounded in action.[46]

Romanian

19 Romanian soldiers have been killed in action in Afghanistan.[47] More than 40 soldiers have been wounded in action.[48][49]

Swedish

Five Swedish soldiers have been killed in action since 2005. Three in two separate IED incidents and two in a ambush by a ANP uniform wearing insurgent. Several local translators working with the Swedish PRT have been killed.

Spanish

Of the Spanish deaths, 17 died in August 2005 when the Eurocopter Cougar helicopter they were travelling in crashed, 12 were killed in separate attacks by insurgents, two died from natural causes, and two died in vehicle accidents. Another 62 died in a Yak-42 plane crash in Turkey on their way back to Spain from Afghanistan.[50]

South Korean

A South Korean officer was shot by a fellow officer for not following an order to speak quietly on the telephone.[51] Another South Korean soldier, Sergeant Yoon Jang-ho, was killed in a suicide bomb attack at Bagram Air Base.[52]

Turkish

The Turkish Army suffered its first deaths on July 14, 2009, when two soldiers were killed in a road traffic accident in Faryab province, between Mazar-i Sharif and Kabul. One of the two killed was the commander of the Turkish contingent of ISAF troops in Afghanistan.[53]

Coalition deaths in other countries as the result of the war

 Spain: 62
 USA: 31
 Canada: 1

TOTAL: 94

In addition to the 1,783 American deaths in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, another 31 U.S. soldiers died in: Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Germany, Turkey, the Arabian sea, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, while supporting operations in Afghanistan. Among them are also a Marine, a civilian DoD employee and two military airmen who were killed in action while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.[1][11][54][55][56]

A Canadian soldier was found dead of non-combat-related causes at a forward logistics base in the United Arab Emirates near Dubai.

62 Spanish soldiers died in a Yak-42 plane crash in Turkey on their way back to Spain from Afghanistan.[50]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e "Operation Enduring Freedom". iCasualties.org. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  2. ^ U.S. Defense Department. "Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) U.S. Casualty Status."
  3. ^ a b "Enduring Freedom Casualties". CNN. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  4. ^ Robert Gates (June 10, 2011). "Reflections on the status and future of the transatlantic alliance". Security & Defence Agenda. Retrieved 2011-06-13. Consider that when I became Secretary of Defense in 2006 there were about 20,000 non-U.S. troops from NATO nations in Afghanistan. Today, that figure is approximately 40,000. More than 850 troops from non-U.S. NATO members have made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. For many allied nations these were the first military casualties they have taken since the end of the Second World War.
  5. ^ Day, Thomas L.; Landay, Jonathan S. (December 28, 2009). "U.S. intelligence: 'Time is running out' in Afghanistan". McClatchy Washington Bureau. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  6. ^ Vanden, Tom (2009-03-16). "Poll: More view Afghan war as 'mistake'". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  7. ^ U.S. intelligence: 'Time is running out' in Afghanistan
  8. ^ Vanden, Tom (2011-01-10). "Afghan insurgents match surge with more IEDs". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  9. ^ Whitlock, Craig (January 26, 2011). "Number of U.S. casualties from roadside bombs in Afghanistan skyrocketed from 2009 to 2010". The Washington Post.
  10. ^ "Operation Enduring Freedom | Afghanistan". iCasualties. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  11. ^ a b c http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf
  12. ^ "Australian Operation in Afghanistan - Department of Defence". Australian Government, Department of Defence. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  13. ^ "Operations Factsheets | Operations in Afghanistan: British Fatalities". UK Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ "Flag-draped casket of Ouellet arrives in Canada". CTV.ca. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  16. ^ Canadian soldier found dead on Afghan base[dead link]
  17. ^ "Final tally says 2,000 Canadians wounded in Afghanistan". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  18. ^ "Dansk soldat dræbt i morges" (in Template:Dk icon). Jyllands-Posten. 09.01.11. Retrieved 2011-06-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  19. ^ "Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraq | Fatalities By Nationality". iCasualties. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  20. ^ "Dansk soldat er dræbt i Afghanistan". DR. 2011-07-10.
  21. ^ John Pike. "First female Danish soldier killed in Afghanistan". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  22. ^ "Another Dutch soldier dies in Afghanistan". Radio Netherlands Worldwide. 2010-05-22. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  23. ^ "Dutch troops end Afghanistan deployment". BBC News. August 1, 2010.
  24. ^ "Estonian defense minister dismisses pullout from Afghanistan". Xinhuanet. 2011-06-29.
  25. ^ "Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraq | Fatalities By Nationality". iCasualties. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2011-07-14.
  26. ^ Tenth Georgia Soldier Killed in Afghanistan Retrieved: September 1, 2011
  27. ^ Seth Robson. "U.S. training a dual mission for Georgians". Stripes.com. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  28. ^ "28-Year-Old Georgian Officer Dies in Afghanistan - News Agency InterpressNews". New.interpressnews.ge. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  29. ^ Georgian soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Accessed 10/1/2010.
  30. ^ "Georgian Soldier Died in Afghanistan - News Agency InterpressNews". Interpressnews.ge. 2011-02-22. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  31. ^ Georgian Soldier Killed in Afghanistan Retrieved: June 21, 2011
  32. ^ "Georgian Soldier Killed in Afghanistan". Civil.ge. 2001-07-01. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  33. ^ "Georgian Soldier Succumbs Afghan Injuries". Civil.ge. 2001-07-01. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  34. ^ http://mod.gov.ge/index.php?page=77&lang=1&type=1&Id=1127
  35. ^ http://mod.gov.ge/index.php?page=77&lang=1&type=&Id=1244
  36. ^ http://mod.gov.ge/index.php?page=77&lang=1&type=1&Id=1253
  37. ^ "Grundlagen" (in Template:De icon). bundeswehr.de. Retrieved 2011-06-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  38. ^ "Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraq | Fatalities By Nationality". iCasualties. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  39. ^ "Vittime totali salgono a 39 - Libero". libero-news.it. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  40. ^ "Jordanian officer dies, 3 injured in Afghanistan bomb blast". Petra.gov.jo. 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  41. ^ "SAS soldier killed in suicide strike". New Zealand Herald. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  42. ^ "Operation Enduring Freedom Norway Fatalities". Icasualties.org. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  43. ^ Norwegian troop numbers injured in Afghanistan ‘inaccurate’
  44. ^ [2]
  45. ^ "Press release of the Operational Command of PAF". isaf.wp.mil.pl. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  46. ^ "No Operation". Presstv.ir. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  47. ^ The Associated Press (2010-06-23). "2 Romanian soldiers killed in Afghanistan after explosive device hits their vehicle | The Associated Press - Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada". canadaeast.com. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  48. ^ "Two Romanian soldiers killed in Afghanistan :: EMG :: SEE news". Emg.rs. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  49. ^ http://english.defense.ro/misiuni/memoriam.php
  50. ^ a b thinkSPAIN "Spanish soldier killed in Afghanistan accident "
  51. ^ "Afghanistan News January 30, 2003". Afghanistannewscenter.com. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  52. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20090629181329/http://icasualties.org/OEF/byNationality.aspx?hndQry=South+Korea
  53. ^ "Internet Edition". The Daily Star. 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  54. ^ "DoD Identifies Army Casualty". News Release. U.S. Department of Defense. September 27, 2003. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  55. ^ Fox News. May 21, 2007 http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2007May21/0,4675,CIAFallenOfficers,00.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  56. ^ "Sailor from Amarillo missing in Indian Ocean". Associated Press. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Online. 2001-11-29. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
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