22 US troops killed in Afghanistan in four days
Telegraph co.uk
Twenty two American troops have been killed in Afghanistan in four days, making it one of the bloodiest periods of the summer.
A series of bomb attacks have badly hit US troops in eastern and southern Afghanistan in the past 48 hours, contributing to the toll.
Violence is predicted to rise towards the September 18 parliamentary elections and as American troops begin operations west of Kandahar after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Deaths among the Nato-led coalition have reached 485 this year and are predicted to surpass 2009’s total of 521.
In one of the worst recent attacks five American soldiers died in Kandahar on Monday. Witnesses said their Humvee armoured vehicle was destroyed by a bomb. Three more died in a bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday.
The coalition blames the rise in troop deaths partly on the influx of reinforcements, which is allowing commanders to target previously untouched insurgent safe havens where rebels are mounting stiff resistance.
Afghan police and civilians have suffered far higher casualties. The interior ministry has said 229 civilians and 124 policemen were killed in the month to August 22.
Mr Karzai’s frustration at the death toll led him this week to say Nato strategy must change as “fighting (Taliban) in Afghan villages has been ineffective and is not achieving anything but killing civilians”.
Gen David Petraeus, senior US and Nato commander in the country, warned fighting would get “harder before it gets easier”.
Homemade bombs using old shells or homemade explosives and hidden in roads, tracks, walls, streams and buildings have become the Taliban’s favoured weapon.
Their use has sparked an arms race with foreign troops evolving tactics, or relying on more heavily armed vehicles and mine detectors to try and avoid them.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Obama gave the taliban the green flag.
This is awful, every village near that Bomb/IED should be ankle high.. God Protect our troops from their two enemies ,obama and the taliban. Our troops are being restrained by Obama and his administration!
STOP these insane R.O.E.’s !!!!!
I’m not a great military tactician but it seems to me that the Taliban are emboldened by our political weaknesses at home. If we can’t get our house in order, we can’t put someone else’s house in order. Not to mention the degradation of morale over there. Right now, we’re not the shining beacon on the hill. What kind of government is Obama pushing for in Afghanistan? It would not be a democratic republic, he doesn’t believe in that. Socialism is what he believes in, do the Afghan people want that? Probably not. Give me some feedback on this Team Theodore.
Pray for our troops.
For now Jim when it comes time, Vote take your friends with you make them vote, if they won’t come drag them…Vote damit
Jim, good questions and your right about what Obama is pushing. It is not like what Bush wanted for the people over there like in Iraq where they held up their fingers that were purple to show they got to vote without being killed or intimidated by Saddam and his henchmen.
Like Mark said we need to do what we can here to vote obama and his people out and talk to others to wake up to see they have to do that too. Once we can do that and get back on track as that shining beacon on the hill ( and in my heart I think we can) then we can help others once again and lead the way like our country has done better then any other country in the world.