"US casualties in Afghanistan reach record high; 66 deaths in July is most in one month" by Robert H. Reid, Associated Press | July 31, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO announced yesterday that six more US troops have died in Afghanistan, bringing the death toll for July to at least 66 and surpassing the previous month’s record as the deadliest for American forces in the nearly nine-year-old war.
All signs point to more bloodshed in the months ahead, straining the already shaky international support for the war.
At the same time, there are signs that Afghan patience with the presence of thousands of foreign troops is running thin. In the capital, Kabul, police fired weapons into the air to disperse a crowd of angry Afghans who shouted “Death to America,’’ hurled stones, and set fire to two American vehicles.
The melee broke out after an SUV, driven by US contract employees, was involved in a traffic accident that killed four Afghans, according to the capital’s criminal investigations chief, Abdul Ghaafar Sayedzada.
The US contractor,
Related: Occupation Iraq: Dy-No-Corp!
So how much are they stealing in Afghanistan, taxpayers?
US officials confirmed the latest American combat deaths but gave no further details. Five of the latest reported deaths were a result of hidden bombs — the insurgents’ weapon of choice — and the sixth was an armed attack, NATO said.
Commanders say American casualties are mounting because more troops are fighting, and the Taliban are stiffening resistance as NATO and Afghan forces challenge the insurgents in areas they can’t afford to give up without a fight.
Yeah, meanwhile the insurgents are EXPANDING to areas they haven't even been!!
"the insurgency is spreading beyond its strongholds even as US and NATO forces are ramping up the war"
Don't you LOVE the AmeriKan MSM and it LIES of WAR!?
Increased fighting around Kandahar is part of a NATO strategy to secure the city, the Taliban’s spiritual birthplace where support for the insurgency runs deep. US commanders have described Kandahar city as the key to controlling the Taliban’s southern heartland because of the city’s symbolic links to the insurgency.
As the United States and its allies step up pressure around Kandahar, Taliban resistance has also intensified in Helmand Province to the west and in Zabul Province to the east. Those three provinces account for roughly 70 percent of the US deaths this month.
British and Afghan troops launched a new offensive yesterday in the Sayedebad area of Helmand to try to deny insurgents a base from which to launch attacks in Nad Ali and Marja, the British military announced. Coalition and Afghan troops have sought to solidify control of Marja after overrunning the southern community five months ago.
Related: The Boston Globe's Invisible Ink: Lost Marjah Mojo
Yeah, we never actually did take it.
That was just your MSM and military lying to you again, Americans.
American deaths dropped last spring after the February capture of Marja, but US fatalities have been rising recently, from 19 in April to 34 in May to 60 in June. Last month’s deaths for the entire NATO-led force reached a record 104, including the 60 Americans. This month’s coalition death count stands at 89, including the 66 Americans.
Some US military officers speculated that the spring drop in fatalities was due in part to the fact that many Taliban fighters in the south were busy harvesting the annual opium poppy crop, a major source of funding for the insurgents.
Yeah, sure.
See: U.S. Gardening in Afghanistan
WHAT OUR CHILDREN ARE DYING FOR IN AFGHANISTAN
Taliban disguised as NATO troops?
As the harvest ended and the pace of battle accelerated, more American troops were streaming into the country....
American troop strength stands at about 95,000, and by the end of August the figure is expected to swell to 100,000....
Commanders say more boots on the ground inevitably means more casualties.
And therefore LESS BOOTS means LESS CASUALTIES!
It is TIME to LEAVE!
The rise in casualties could erode support for the war in Washington and the capitals of the 45 other countries that provide troops, especially if NATO commanders are unable to show progress in curbing the Taliban....
There IS NO SUPPORT for the WAR anymore so how could it erode?
With the additional troops, US commanders have been stepping up the fight against the insurgents in their longtime strongholds such as the Arghandab Valley, Panjwaii, and Zhari — all on the outskirts of Kandahar city, the biggest urban area in the ethnic Pashtun south.
Then how come we aren't winning?
--more--"
Related: A Trip Through Arlington
It's going to be a long walk.
