Friday, July 07, 2006 7:55 AM - CENTCOM's headquarters in Kabul has issued the following statement on July 7th: "A Coalition Soldier was killed July 6 in the Baghran Valley of Helmand Province when a convoy was attacked by enemy extremists.  Another Coalition Soldier was wounded in the the attack and was evacuated to a Coalition medical facility for treatment.  Coalition forces returned fire, and at least five extremists were killed."  As the death happened in Helmand Province where several coalition nationalities are operating, there is no telling at this point what nationality the death was.

Friday, July 07, 2006 10:26 AM - The Indianapolis Star published an article this morning on 1st Sergeant Jeffery McLochlin of Rochester, IN. It confirms what we suspected ... that the sergeant did indeed die on July 5th in Afghanistan.

Friday, July 07, 2006 3:57 PM -

Saturday, July 08, 2006 5:45 AM - The DoD has formally announced the identity of the soldier who died in Helmand Province on July 6th: Pfc. Kevin F. Edgin, 31, of Dyersburg, Tennessee.

Sunday, July 09, 2006 6:01 AM - According to the Canadian CTV.ca News, a Canadian reservist has died Sunday, July 9th, of wounds received in fighting west of Kandahar on Saturday: Cpl. Anthony Joseph Boneca.

Sunday, July 09, 2006 6:19 AM - The Canadian Ministry of Defense has just published a statement on the death of Cpl. Anthony Boneca in Afghanistan.

Sunday, July 09, 2006 5:22 PM - A nicely done article has appeared in Canadian Press about the Canadian soldier who died in Afghanistan on July 9th: Cpl. Anthony Boneca. He was 21 years old and grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Another article prepared by Reuters AlertNet gives the age of the recent Spanish death, Jorge Arnaldo Hernández, as 26 ... and also provides more detail on the explosion that killed him in Afghanistan on the 8th.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 3:36 AM - Body of Spanish soldier killed in Afghanistan brought home
By h.b., typicallyspanish.com, Tue, 11 Jul 2006, 08:33

The body of the Spanish soldier killed over the weekend in Afghanistan has arrived back in Spain.  The Minister for Defence, José Antonio Alonso and the President of the Madrid regional government, Esperanza Aguirre, received the body last night at the Torrejón de Ardoz airbase.  The soldier of Peruvian origin will see a full military funeral today which the Prime Minister and leader of the opposition will attend.... (continued)

Sunday, July 16, 2006 6:17 AM - CENTCOM's headquarters in Kabul, the Combined Forces Command - Afghanistan, has issued the following statement: "One Coalition Soldier was killed during a firefight between a Coalition patrol and extremist fighters in the Day Chopan District of Zabul Province on July 16th. The unit was conducting a combat patrol of the area and received small arms fire from enemy fighters. Coalition joint fires responded to the extremist's position during the battle. The Soldier was transported to a Coalition medical facility where he died during surgery of his wounds."  From the location of the death, in Zabul Province, it's likely the death was American. (No link yet.)

Monday, July 17, 2006 12:46 PM - The Combined Forces Command in Afghanistan has issued the following statement: "One Coalition Soldier was killed and 11 Coalition Soldiers were wounded during a fierce battle against Taliban extremists July 17 in Tarin Kowt District, Oruzgan Province. While conducting offensive operations, Coalition forces attacked and destroyed a truck which extremists were loading with mortar equipment. The attack was followed by a heavy engagement with enemy combatants. Assessments of enemy casualties have yet to be reported. All Coalition casualties were medically evacuated to the Coalition hospital at Tarin Kowt."
     The Washington Post is carrying a blurb on this death.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 3:08 PM - The DoD has released the identity of the US soldier killed in Afghanistan on July 16th: Sgt. Robert P. Kassin, 29, of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Thursday, July 20, 2006 3:53 AM - CENTCOM's headquarters in Afghanistan, Combined Forces Command, has issued the following press release: "A Coalition Soldier was killed while conducting combat operations in the Carhar Cineh District of Uruzgan Province on July 18th. Two Coalition Soldiers were wounded in the fighting and taken to a Coalition hospital. They are listed in stable condition."  We are assuming the death to be American because of the location, an area we believe only U.S. forces are operating in presently.

Thursday, July 20, 2006 1:44 PM - The DoD has identified the US soldier who died on July 17th in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan: Staff Sgt. Robert J. Chiomento, 34, of Fort Dix, New Jersey.

Friday, July 21, 2006 7:57 AM - CENTCOM has issued a press release announcing the death of a "Coalition soldier" in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, on July 21st, from a rocket and mortar attack on a Coalition base. Because the attack was in Paktika, we are assuming the dead soldier was an American.

Friday, July 21, 2006 2:11 PM - The DoD has released the identity of the U.S. soldier who died in Afghanistan on the 19th (apparently he was wounded on the 18th, died on the 19th): Staff Sgt. Eric Caban, 28, of Fort Worth, Texas.

Sunday, July 23, 2006 3:38 AM - The Canadian news media is now widely reporting on the deaths of two Canadian soldiers in a suicide car bombing on the outskirts of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on July 22nd. The two have been identified as Cpl. Jason Patrick Warren, 29, of Quebec City, Quebec and Cpl. Francisco Gomez, 44, of Edmonton, Alberta. (More about Francisco Gomez.)

Monday, July 24, 2006 3:06 PM - The DoD has released the identity of the U.S. soldier who died in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, on July 21st: 1st Sergeant Christopher C. Rafferty, 37, of Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Note that the DoD describes the death as being from small arms fire. But CENTCOM described the incident as a rocket and mortar attack on a base. It is possible that this is whole new death not previously reported by CENTCOM. Only time will tell ...

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 4:11 AM - CENTCOM's headquarters in Kabul, Combined Forces Command - Afghanistan, has released the following notice: "A Coalition Soldier was killed July 24 while conducting combat operations against enemy extremists in the Pech District of Kunar Province. The Soldier was a member of a Coalition patrol responding to an attack by insurgents near Dag Village. The unit attacked the extremists with small arms, mortar and joint fires from Coalition aircraft." Because of the location of the death, we believe it to be American.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 3:47 AM - The DoD has released the identity of the US soldier killed in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on July 24th: Sgt. David M. Hierholzer, 27, of Lewisburg, Tennessee.

Thursday, July 27, 2006 5:32 AM -
      Yesterday we began to see articles about a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan about 25 miles northeast of Khost city in very rugged terrain, but the details were too vague to determine if there were military deaths involved. Now the Washington Post is reporting that although it was a civilian helicopter, there were two Dutch military men aboard, both with the NATO contingent that are shortly to take over from the Americans. One was an air force lieutenant colonel, the other an army sergeant.
      It would appear that two American civilians died in the crash as well. (On this page, we only tally Coalition military deaths. For numbers and stories on all of these casualties, see our One Day in Iraq - July news log.)
      CENTCOM's headquarters in Kabul, CFS-A, has issued the following news release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2006 Release #060727-02 Afghan helicopter crashes in Paktia BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The Coalition’s Combined Joint Task Force – 76 responded immediately to a helicopter crash in the rugged mountains of Paktia Province on July 26, sending a search and rescue team to the site for recovery assistance. A Russian-made Mi 8 helicopter, owned by the Afghan government, crashed in the Qalandar Mountains near the Khost border. Initial reports indicate between 12 and 16 people were killed. The helicopter was operated by a logistics company ferrying supplies and fuel from Kabul to Khost airport ... Reports from the crash site indicate the remains of 12 people have been recovered. Afghan and Coalition forces continue recovery operations for any additional people ... The International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul confirmed two ISAF troops traveling to a security coordination meeting were on board the aircraft and ISAF has mobilized assets for the recovery effort.

Thursday, July 27, 2006 2:12 PM - The DoD has just announced the identity of a U.S. soldier who died in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, on July 25th a from non-hostile, unspecified cause: Spc. Andrew Velez, 22, of Lubbock, Texas. This death had not previously been announced by CENTCOM.

Saturday, July 29, 2006 9:07 AM - The Dutch Ministry of Defense has released the names of the two Dutch military men killed in the helicopter crash that occurred in Afghanistan on July 26:
	Lieutenant Colonel Jan van Twist, 47 Sergeant Bart van Boxtel, 29
	A (very) rough translation of the article from the Dutch:
	The material remains of the soldiers who died in the helicopter crash on Wednesday, July 26, in Afghanistan, have been flown to Bagram Air Base near Kabul. The two dead are Lieutenant Colonel Jan van Twist (47 years) of the Royal Air Force and Sergeant Bart van Boxtel (29 years) of the Royal Army.       Lieutenant Colonel Van Twist began his military career in the Royal Military Police in 1976. In October of 1994 he switched to the Royal Air Force as a military lawyer. During his career, he worked in several legal areas, including contract management. Since February 2005, Van Twist had assumed the duties of an operational section head at the Air Force's legal department. Since May he had functioned as the Legal Adviser to the contingent commander in Kabul. Van Twist leaves behind a wife and two children.      Sergeant Van Boxtel had also been sent to Kabul, but with the Dutch support commando contingent. He headed up the Force Protection Team which protects small transports of people and material in and out of Kabul. Van Boxtel belonged to the 11 Airmobile Infantry Battalion of the Airmobile Brigade based in Schaarsbergen.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006 5:37 AM - An article found on a Dutch website gives the hometown for Jan van Twist as Zwijndrecht in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. Van Twist died on July 26th in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Friday, August 04, 2006 7:16 AM - The Associated Press published an article this morning about the death of Army Spc. Andrew Velez in Afghanistan on July 25th. The military would only say that the death was non-hostile, but his family is now confirming that the young man committed suicide with a mini-machine gun ... this after his older brother was killed in Iraq less than a year ago.

Monday, August 07, 2006 12:10 PM - A little more information has been found on the Dutchman Sergeant Bart Van Boxtel who was killed in Afghanistan in a helicopter crash on July 26th. According to Dutch media, he was buried in the little town of Urmond in the municipality of Stein in the far southern province of Limburg in the Netherlands. We are thinking that Urmond is likely his hometown, especially as various media articles refer to him as a Limburger.