A U.S. soldier supporting Operation Enduring Freedom has died in Uzbekistan.

The Department of Defense has not released the soldier’s name pending notification of the soldier’s family. While the death is not the result of enemy action, the incident is under investigation, the Pentagon said.

The death comes on the heels of CIA agent John Michael Spann, who died in a prison uprising at Mazar-e Sharif. Rumsfeld commented on Spann’s death to reporters.

“[Spann] knew the risks of his profession, and he accepted them on behalf of his country. We certainly are proud of him, and his family is right to call him a hero,” Rumsfeld said. “And let there be no doubt: there will be further casualties in this campaign – in Afghanistan and elsewhere. There will be other downturns involving our forces. We may have troops captured or killed. There will – but it will not deter us for a day or for a moment from our objectives.”

Taliban and al Qaeda forces now control only a “small segment” of Afghanistan, secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said.

“Coalition forces continue to apply pressure on Taliban and al Qaeda forces around Kandahar, and they are unquestionably having an effect. The Taliban can no longer freely move around the country. They’re finding it increasingly difficult to manage their remaining forces,” Rumsfeld said. “Ironically, however, as the size of the Taliban real estate diminishes, the danger to coalition forces may actually be increasing. As the president said earlier this week, the campaign against terrorism has entered a dangerous phase.

“Every day coalition forces face difficulties and dangers, but they have already made a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Afghans who have suffered under years of brutal repression,” Rumsfeld added. “And before the fight is over, they will make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands or more of the Afghan people.”

The goal of Operation Enduring Freedom has not changed, Rumsfeld explained.

“Our objective remains unchanged,” Rumsfeld said. “It’s to put pressure on the Taliban and the al Qaeda in a variety of ways, in what clearly will be over a sustained period, until they’re not a viable force and they’re no longer capable of terrorizing people and destroying lives in Afghanistan or elsewhere.”

The Pentagon confirmed that the number of American troops in Afghanistan has gone up.

“Over recent days the number of U.S. forces in both the North and the South have increased,” Rumsfeld said.

More than 100 planes were used in last Thursday’s air strikes.

“Approximately 110 strike aircraft flew missions in Afghanistan. They focused primarily on targets in and around Kandahar and also in the cave and tunnel complexes near Jalalabad,” General Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. “Humanitarian relief, food distribution – the 34,000 that were delivered yesterday brought to over two million the number of rations that have been delivered by the military.”

The Marines deployed in the South have been setting up a base and reinforcing their positions, Pace explained.

“The Marines have continued to improve their forward-operating base location in Southern Afghanistan,” Pace said. “About a thousand Marines there now. And they will continue to operate from that for the foreseeable future.”

On the Net: The Pentagon: http://www.defenselink.mil