JG-TC.com > News > US deaths rise in Afghanistan from last year

TODAY'S HEADLINES

SPECIAL SECTION

Spring Home Improvement

ONLINE POLL

ONLINE EXTRAS

Shop Smart, Shop Local

SITE TOOLS

OTHER LINKS

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 8:38 PM CDT
US deaths rise in Afghanistan from last year

By the ASSOCIATED PRESS

KABUL (AP) — U.S. deaths in Afghanistan have risen to 65 so far this year, up from 36 over the first five months of 2008 — though U.S. and coalition troops have also killed hundreds more militants, an Associated Press tally shows.

As newly arriving Marines enter the violent Afghan south — the spiritual home of the Taliban and the country’s major drug-producing region — the military said Tuesday that U.S. deaths will likely increase even further this summer.

“We’re doing everything we can to ensure the deaths occur on the militants’ side, but there is a potential there will be an increase in U.S. deaths,” said Col. Greg Julian, the top U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan.

In Washington, the U.S general chosen to take over as commander of American and NATO troops in Afghanistan said he believes the war is “winnable, but I don’t think it will be easily winnable.” Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal said at his confirmation hearing that avoiding civilian casualties is key to success.

Civilian deaths, long a contentious issue in Afghanistan, are also higher this year because of militant attacks and U.S. and NATO operations.

The latest U.S. death came Tuesday during an insurgent attack in the east that killed one soldier. On Monday, two roadside bombs ripped through two military vehicles in the same convoy, killing four Americans in Wardak, one province west of Kabul.

U.S. counter-IED experts say they expect IED attacks — roadside bombs and suicide attacks — to rise 50 percent this year, contributing to the increase in casualties.

The death Tuesday brought to 65 the number of U.S. forces killed in Afghanistan this year, according to an AP count based on military figures. Not counting the five deaths in June, U.S. deaths are up 66 percent the first five months of the year over the same period last year.

President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 more troops into Afghanistan to bolster the roughly 40,000 already in the country. U.S. officials predict a rise in violence this summer as the troops enter militant-controlled areas where they haven’t previously operated.

Add your comments

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login? (requires cookies)
	Forgot Your Password?

Not already registered?
Then click Here.

Comment policy:

JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.

In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.

We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.

No comment may contain:

* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.

If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.

kamfong wrote on Jun 3, 2009 7:18 AM:

" So if the government knows there is going to be a 50% increase in ied,roadside bombs,and suicide attacks,why send Americans there when this problem can easily be taken care of from the air? "