Excerpt
JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): Earlier this week, we reported a new milestone crossed in the war in Afghanistan. The number of U.S. military deaths has surpassed 2,000.
Ray has the story behind the numbers.
GEORGE W. BUSH, former U.S. president: On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against al-Qaida terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
RAY SUAREZ (Newshour): In 2001, President George W. Bush launched Operation Enduring Freedom. More than a decade later, the U.S. is still fighting in Afghanistan, and Americans are still dying.
While the numbers vary, the Department of Defense and others count at least 2,000 American military deaths since the war began. The number includes suicides in Afghanistan, but not those following service there. The death toll surpassed 1,000 back in 2010. That figure then doubled in just over two years after a major escalation.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers.
RAY SUAREZ: What was called the surge sent more troops into dangerous Taliban territory.
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