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wartsttocs
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 Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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Petraeus Spin on Afghan War Belied by Soaring Casualties
by Gareth Porter, September 10, 2010
| Quote: | Gen. David Petraeus claimed limited success this week in the war within a war over the Taliban’s planting of roadside bombs, but official Pentagon data shows the Taliban clearly winning that war by planting more bombs and killing many more U.S. and NATO troops since the troop surge began in early 2010.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published Tuesday, Petraeus asserted that the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by the Taliban had "flattened" over the past year and attributed that alleged success to pressures by the U.S. military, and especially the increased tempo of Special Operations Forces raids against Taliban units.
Data provided by the Pentagon’s Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), however, shows that IEDs planted by Afghan insurgents killed nearly 40 percent more U.S. and NATO troops in the first eight months of 2010 than in the comparable period of 2009.
The data also show that Taliban IEDs wounded 2,025 U.S. and NATO troops in the first eight months of this year – almost twice the 1,035 wounded in the same months last year.
In the Journal interview, Petraeus said that the data on violent incidents in Afghanistan indicate a slowly improving security situation.
Without putting his statement in quotation marks, Journal reporters Julian E. Barnes and Matthew Rosenberg reported Petraeus as claiming that the use of IEDs "has generally flattened in the past year." While crediting U.S. military operations with this alleged improvement, Petraeus said it is too soon to say that they are the sole reason for this alleged flattening of IED incidents.
But the data for 2009 and 2010 provide no support for Petraeus’s "flattened" description.
The 12-month moving average of IED incidents, provided in a report in July by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on the basis of JIEDDO data, shows a continuing and sharp increase from 250 in June 2009 to more than 900 in May 2010, for an average increase per month of 54 incidents.
The total number of IED incidents in Afghanistan began to rise steeply in March 2010 to a new high of 1,087 and then continued to climb to 1,128 in May and again to 1,258 in August.
In a related effort to spin the IED issue more favorably to the war effort, Maj. Michael G. Johnson, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commanded by Petraeus, was quoted in a USA Today story published Tuesday as saying that there had been a "dip" in deaths and injuries from IEDs over the previous 12 weeks compared to the same period in 2009.
But the JIEDDO figures on deaths and injuries to U.S. and NATO forces from IEDs from June through August 2010 total 271 casualties – a 30 percent increase over the total for those months a year ago.
In response to a query from IPS, however, Johnson said he was including deaths and injuries to Afghan security personnel and civilians as well.
Killing and wounding foreign troops is generally understood to be the objective of the Taliban’s IED war and the reduction of those casualties is the objective of Petraeus’s command.
Petraeus had previously been more cautious about claiming success in the IED war. In an interview with Spencer Ackerman of the website Danger Room Aug. 18, Petraeus only referred to growing pressures on the Taliban organising for IEDs from both U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and from SOF units.
But when Ackerman pointed out that IED attacks were rising, Petraeus asserted that the increase could be because U.S. and coalition forces are "on the offensive…taking away areas that matter to the enemy, safe havens and sanctuaries."
Challenged by Ackerman on an interpretation that turned an obvious indicator of a failing war effort into an indicator of progress, however, Petraeus retreated, saying, "That’s fair enough."
Both the Ackerman interview and Johnson’s statement illustrate the Petraeus tactic of making statements that mislead by omission or tendentious interpretation rather than making statements that could be proven false.
The Petraeus statement to the Journal about "flattened" IED figures, however, appears to go beyond that tactic.
The JIEDDO data on IED incidents by month also provides evidence that the U.S. and NATO forces have failed to win the trust of the population in the Pashtun provinces where the Taliban have been strongest. The JIEDDO figures show that the proportion of IEDs turned in by the population has continued to fall with each passing year since the NATO military buildup in Pashtun areas began in 2006.
In late 2005, the civilian population was informing U.S. and NATO troops of about 15 percent of of all IEDs planted. That proportion fell to just over nine percent in 2006, to less than seven percent in 2007 to about three percent in 2008, and again to 2.8 percent in 2009.
In the first six months of 2010, that ratio dropped to 2.6 percent, and in May and June it fell to 1.4 and one percent, respectively.
A paper by four authors, including former Petraeus adviser David Kilcullen, published by the pro-war Center for New American Security in June 2009 highlighted the importance of the proportion of IEDs turned in by the population as an indicator of good relations between U.S. and NATO military units and the local population.
A rise in the proportion of IEDs found and cleared, especially because of tips from the population, would be a "sign of progress," the authors concluded.
The head of JIEDDO, Lt. Gen. Michael Oates, appears to agree with that analysis. In an interview with USA Today published last March, Oates said winning the trust of the Afghan population is "a key ingredient" in protecting U.S. troops from IEDs.
The steep decline in the proportion of IEDs turned in by the population as more U.S. and NATO troops intruded on the Pashtun countryside is another reliable indicator – supporting opinion surveys in Helmand and Kandahar provinces – of the deterioration of relations between foreign troops and the population.
(Inter Press Service) |
http://original.antiwar.com/porter/2010/09/09/petraeus-spin-on-afghan-war-belied-by-soaring-casualties/ |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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US-led soldier killed in Afghanistan
| Quote: | Another US-led soldier has lost his life in southern Afghanistan as militants step up their attacks against foreign forces in the country.
NATO said in a statement on Thursday that the soldier died while fighting Taliban militants.
His nationality, as well as the exact location of the incident, is not declared yet.
The death brings the number of foreign troops killed in the Afghan war to 505 so far this year.
In a separate incident in Ghazni province, south of the country, militants attacked a security post and killed five Afghan guards on Thursday.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.
The developments come as the security situation keeps deteriorating in Afghanistan with US-led forces being killed by Taliban militants on a near-daily basis.
According to official figures, more than 2,000 US-led soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country. Figures released by Afghanistan's Baakhtar news agency, however, put the death toll at near 4,500.
JR/MGH |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/142731.html |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 5:28 am Post subject: |
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3 US-led troops killed in Afghanistan
| Quote: | Three more US-led troops have been killed in separate bomb attacks in various parts of Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) says.
NATO said in a statement on Sunday that two of the troops were killed in the south and another soldier died in northern Afghanistan on Saturday.
NATO has not revealed the nationality of the trio yet.
Saturday's deaths bring to 515 the number of US-led soldiers killed in the war-ravaged Afghanistan so far this year. The toll has almost hit the record annual figure of 521 in 2009.
The US-led alliance said on Saturday that three of its troops lost their lives in separate incidents in the country's volatile south over the past 24 hours.
According to official figures, more than 2,000 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.
Figures released by the Afghan Baakhtar news agency; however, put the death toll near 4,500.
DB/HRF |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/143043.html[/quote] |
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wartsttocs
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| Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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US-led soldier killed in Afghanistan
| Quote: | A bomb attack has killed a US-led soldier in southern Afghanistan as the foreign death toll in the war-torn country nears two thousand.
The US-led force reported the death on Wednesday without referring to the nationality of the soldier, AFP said.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force said on Tuesday in a statement that at least nine US-led troops lost their lives in a helicopter crash in the southern province of Zabul.
The Taliban claim they shot the US chopper down.
The latest death bring the toll among the US-led forces in Afghanistan to 531 so far in 2010, making it the deadliest year since the start of the war.
MSH/HRF |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/143486.html |
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wartsttocs
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| Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2010 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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Afghan bomb blast kills US-led troops
| Quote: | An improvised explosive device has left at least two US-led soldiers dead in southern Afghanistan as the war claims more lives of foreign troops.
NATO said the soldiers were killed on Sunday, without giving further details, the Associated Press reported.
The nationalities of those killed are not generally released until after the next of kin have been contacted.
More than 530 US-led troops have lost their lives in war-ravaged Afghanistan so far this year, making 2010 the deadliest year for NATO since the war began nine years ago.
The total US and NATO casualties in the past 20 months are more than the entire death toll in the first seven years of the war.
Last December, US President Barack Obama ordered an extra 30,000 forces for Afghanistan. Despite the surge, violence has been increasing in the country, claiming the lives of both Afghan civilians and foreign troops. |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/144000.html |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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Six US-led troops die in Afghan war
| Quote: | NATO confirms six more US-led forces have been killed in Afghanistan as militants step up their attacks against foreign forces in the country.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) announced that three soldiers have been killed by a bomb explosion and another three died in separate attacks.
ISAF says the attacks happened in the country's troubled south but has not yet disclosed the nationalities of the soldiers.
About 550 foreign soldiers have been killed in the Afghan war so far this year.
ISAF has also announced that one of its air weapons teams has accidentally struck a group of civilians in Ghazni province killing four and injuring three others.
The loss of civilian lives at the hand of foreign forces has led to a dramatic increase in anti-American sentiments in Afghanistan.
A recent UN report revealed that civilian deaths have jumped by 31 percent in the first half of 2010.
The recent surge in fighting between US-led coalition forces and Taliban militants has made 2010 the deadliest year for the foreign troops since the invasion of Afghanistan began in 2001.
JR/MB |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/144721.html |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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2 US-led troops killed in Afghanistan
| Quote: | Two more US-led soldiers have lost their lives in a bomb explosion in eastern Afghanistan, says NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
NATO said in a Saturday statement that the incident took place on Friday.
"Two ISAF service members died following an improvised explosive device attack in eastern Afghanistan yesterday (Friday)," it added. NATO did not reveal the nationalities of the troops.
Friday deaths bring to 551 the number of US-led troops killed in the war-torn country so far this year, AFP reported.
The increasing number of troop casualties in Afghanistan has sparked widespread anger in the US and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the continuation of the Afghan war.
The recent surge in fighting between US-led coalition forces and Taliban militants has made 2010 the deadliest year for the foreign troops since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
DB/MGH |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/144835.html |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Attack on NATO containers kills 3
| Quote: | At least three people have been killed and five others injured when unknown militants blew up 40 NATO containers in southern Pakistan.
The fuel tankers, which were carrying supplies to US-led troops in Afghanistan, were attacked in Shikarpur district of Sindh province of Pakistan late Thursday, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The tankers were parked at a petrol station when they came under militants' rocket attack, a local administration official, Saeed Ahmed, told Press TV.
Firefighters were trying to control the fire as security forces have cordoned off the area.
No group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Thursday, Pakistani authorities temporarily stopped NATO supply trucks in northwest Pakistan following a helicopter attack by US-led troops in Pakistan's Kurram tribal region near Afghanistan's border.
Hundreds of vehicles including NATO oil tankers are trapped at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as the border remains blocked for the second consecutive day.
HJ/MGH |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/144734.html |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 1:38 am Post subject: |
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My Comment: This is not the same incident as the one posted above. I even skipped one......
NATO fuel tankers attacked in Pakistan
| Quote: | NATO tankers ablaze in Pakistan after an attack over the weekend (file photo)
Three people have been killed and eight injured in an attack on a convoy of 20 NATO oil tankers which were en route from Pakistan to US-led troops in Afghanistan.
The attack took place near Islamabad in the early hours of Monday morning local time, a Press TV correspondent in Pakistan reported.
Most of the dead and injured were civilian drivers and their helpers, AFP reported.
It was the militants' third attack on NATO oil tankers since Friday.
Police say the tankers, filled with fuel for foreign occupying forces in neighboring Afghanistan, were attacked and set ablaze just outside the Pakistani capital.
One of the main routes through Pakistan used by Afghanistan-bound trucks has been closed for days since three Pakistani troops were killed in a helicopter strike by the US-led military alliance in a border area.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said on Sunday that Islamabad will only re-open the main supply route for coalition troops in Afghanistan when public outrage over the US-led alliance's incursions subsides and the security situation improves.
On Saturday, militants threatened to launch more attacks on tankers carrying fuel to Afghanistan through routes in Pakistan to avenge the deaths caused by the US-led alliance's attacks.
AS/MGH/HGL |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/145096.html |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:23 am Post subject: |
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Ok, here it is:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11463490
Militants attack Nato tanker convoy in Pakistan
| Quote: | The attackers stormed a depot where the tankers were being prepared for a Nato convoy
Suspected militants have attacked a depot where dozens of tankers were being filled with fuel for Nato troops in Afghanistan.
They say 27 tankers were set on fire in the attack close to the capital Islamabad.
Six people were killed in the attack early on Monday morning.
This is the latest in a series of attacks on convoys travelling by land through Pakistan to supply Nato forces in Afghanistan.
Nato-Pakistan row
The attackers stormed a depot where dozens of tankers were being prepared for a Nato convoy near Rawat outside Islamabad just after midnight, the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Pakistan reports.
"Between 10 and 12 men armed with automatic weapons stormed the depot from two sides," Umar Farooq, a senior Islamabad police official told local TV.
"They opened indiscriminate fire on the tankers, many of whom ignited on the impact of the bullets."
Hospital officials said that at least six people were killed and nearly a dozen injured in the attack.
It is the second time Nato convoys have been attacked in recent days.
On Friday, at least 27 lorries carrying supplies for Nato troops were set on fire in the southern Sindh province. The Taliban in Pakistan have claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attacks come amid a row between Nato and Pakistan after a recent cross-border strike killed three Pakistani troops.
In response to the heightened tension, Pakistan has stopped some Nato supplies crossing to Afghanistan.
The Pakistani troops died when Nato helicopters strayed into Pakistani territory while chasing Taliban militants from Afghanistan.
Pakistan's President Ali Asif Zardari said the incident was "counter-productive and unacceptable". |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:22 am Post subject: |
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Five US-led troops killed in Afghanistan
| Quote: | Five US-led soldiers have been killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan, bringing to 561 the number of foreign troops killed in the country so far this year.
NATO's International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) says four soldiers were killed in bomb attacks in the south and a fifth died fighting militants in the east.
ISAF did not give the nationalities of the soldiers or the exact location of the incidents.
Most of the troops deployed in Afghanistan are Americans and the US military has so far suffered the highest casualties in the war-ravaged country.
In a separate incident, three Polish soldiers were injured in a Taliban ambush in the central Ghazni Province.
At least 561 US-led NATO troops have lost their lives in Afghanistan so far this year, making 2010 the deadliest year for NATO since the US-led invasion of the country nine years ago.
Given the rising unpopularity of the war, several NATO member states are demanding an immediate withdrawal of troops. |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/145194.html |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 11:12 pm Post subject: |
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More NATO tankers torched in Pakistan
| Quote: | Unidentified gunmen in Pakistan have attacked more NATO trucks carrying supplies for US-led foreign troops in Afghanistan for the second time in a single day.
Pakistani police say at least ten NATO oil tankers have been torched in the incident.
Earlier in the day, gunmen attacked another convoy torching at least 25 fuel trucks on the outskirts of the southwestern city of Quetta.
Pakistan's pro-Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the attack. They say the move is in retaliation for the increasing number of non-UN-authorized US airstrikes in Pakistan.
The attacks coincide with Islamabad shutting off a major crossing along the border with Afghanistan, in reaction to a NATO incursion into its territory.
The main supply route used by US-led forces in Pakistan to transport goods to neighboring Afghanistan has been closed for seven consecutive days now.
Hundreds of NATO vehicles, including tankers and containers are parked in different parts of northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border.
JR/HGH/MMN |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/145549.html |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 12:35 am Post subject: |
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Two US-led troops killed in Afghan war
| Quote: | Two servicemen with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have lost their lives in separate bombs attacks in Afghanistan.
A German soldier was killed and six others wounded on Thursday when a man clad in an explosive belt detonated a bomb close to the German military convoy in Puli Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province, at 1:50 p.m. local time (0920 GMT).
Two of the injured soldiers are reportedly in critical condition.
The death brings the number of German soldiers killed in war-torn Afghanistan to 44.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, an ISAF soldier lost his life following a roadside bomb explosion in southern Afghanistan.
The US-led alliance did not announce the name or nationality of the soldier.
Roadside bombs, or Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs), are by far the most lethal weapon Taliban militants use against foreign troops, Afghan forces and civilians.
The latest deaths bring to 17 the number of fatalities among foreign troops in Afghanistan this month.
June, nonetheless, remains the deadliest for foreign military casualties with a death toll of 103. A total of 566 foreign soldiers have been killed in the Afghan war so far this year.
The American army has lost 1,321 soldiers since October 2001, when Washington led the invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban. |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/145638.html |
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wartsttocs
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Location: the woods of new hampshire
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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Two US-led troops killed in Afghan war
| Quote: | Two more US-led troops with the International Security Assistance Force have lost their lives in southern Afghanistan, NATO says.
The US-led military alliance said the soldiers were killed in a bomb blast but did not reveal the nationality or the exact location of the attack.
Sunday's deaths come just a day after four Italian troops were killed in a similar bomb explosion in the country's west.
This year is already the deadliest so far with 574 foreign troops killed. The figure surpasses the toll for the whole of last year.
Given the rising unpopularity of the war, several NATO member states are demanding an immediate withdrawal of troops.
JR/AKM/MMN |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/146070.html |
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wartsttocs
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| Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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14 US-led troops killed in Afghan war
| Quote: | At least 14 US-led foreign soldiers, including six Americans have been killed in a spate of attacks across Afghanistan in the past two days.
The soldiers were killed in separate incidents in different parts of the war-torn country.
US-led alliance says three of the troops were killed in a bomb blast in the country's west.
Another four soldiers were slain in the south--three in a militant attack and another by a blast.
The eighth soldier was killed by militants in the east.
NATO has not revealed the nationalities of the soldiers nor the exact location of the incidents.
The latest fatalities come just a day after six American soldiers were slain in the violence-wracked country.
This year has been the deadliest for the western military alliance in Afghanistan with at least 589 fatalities reported so far. The casualty figure for the US-led troops stood at 521 last year which set a new record at the time.
The rising number of NATO casualties is fueling opposition to the Afghan war in the countries that have committed troops to the nine-year effort.
The developments also come as International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) has recently said in a report that the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan is hampering its efforts to reach out to people in need of food, water and healthcare.
The ICRC added that due to security concerns, mothers often take their sick children, suffering from treatable illnesses, to hospitals too late.
The Red Cross raised the alarm at a time that security situation in Afghanistan is at its worst despite the presence of some 150,000 foreign troops in the country.
JR/MB |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/146744.html |
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wartsttocs
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| Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 10:04 am Post subject: |
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'11 US-led troops killed in Afghanistan'
| Quote: | Taliban claim that they have killed at least 11 US-led soldiers in a bomb attack in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claimed on Saturday that one of Taliban members blew himself up at a joint military base controlled by US-led foreign troops and Afghan forces and killed 11 soldiers and wounded several others, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Helmand Police Chief Asadullah Sherzad, however, rejected the claim, saying "only one Afghan policeman was killed" after the attacker blew himself up while security forces tried to arrest him in the front of the military base in Khanshin district.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force have not yet commented on the Friday incident.
This year has been the deadliest for the Western military alliance in Afghanistan with over 580 fatalities reported so far.
Western public opinion is growing increasingly tired of the war. Deaths of civilians in NATO and the US unauthorized attacks have also fueled tensions between Afghanistan and Western countries.
In another incident, a tribal leader was assassinated in the province by unknown armed men on Saturday.
Around 500 tribal leaders have been murdered in Kandahar alone since the start of the US-led invasion back in 2001.
Security remains fragile in the country despite the presence of some 150,000 foreign troops.
DB/MGH |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/146908.html |
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Yuri
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| Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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We're headed into double digit casualty territory. One triple digit event, and the American public may experience a Reagan-Beirut moment - in this case, the declaration of a bogus victory followed by a swift hightailing. After all, there are still other, more defenseless countries to attack and occupy. Then again, these are only soldiers. This is what they signed up for, right? I mean, it's not like they're celebrities or hedge fund managers. You know............important folks.
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wartsttocs
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| Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 12:27 am Post subject: |
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Swedish soldier killed in Afghanistan
| Quote: | A serviceman with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has lost his life and two others sustained injuries in a bomb attack in northern Afghanistan.
A Swedish soldier was killed and two other Swedish troops were wounded on Saturday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb after it was called to support troops who had come under fire about 40 kilometers (29 miles) west of Mazar-i-Sharif, Swedish army spokesman Torbjorn Gustafsson said.
The two other soldiers' injuries are not life-threatening, Gustafsson added.
The latest incident death brings the death toll for Swedish soldiers based in Afghanistan to 5. Sweden currently has about 530 troops in the Central Asian country.
In addition, 45 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this month.
A total of 591 foreign soldiers have been killed in the Afghan war so far this year, eclipsing the previous record of 521 in 2009.
The US military has lost 1,341 soldiers in Afghanistan since the war began in October 2001.
As casualties have risen in Afghanistan over the past few months, public opinion has begun turning against the war in the United States and other countries.
Also, hundreds of civilians have lost their lives in US-led airstrikes and ground operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past few months, with Afghans becoming more and more outraged over the seemingly endless number of deadly assaults.
And this situation is adding fuel to the fire of anti-US sentiment in Afghanistan and the rest of the Islamic world.
MP/HGL |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/147009.html |
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wartsttocs
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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British soldier killed in Afghan war
| Quote: | A British soldier has been killed in a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan as the death toll for US-led forces continues to climb in the country.
The British army says the serviceman lost his life when he was defusing explosive devices in the Nahr-e Saraj district of the restive southern Helmand Province.
Task Force Helmand spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman said the soldier was killed "for the protection of local Helmandis."
The latest death brings the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since the start of the war to 340.
In another development, Taliban militants said at least four American soldiers were killed in Herat Province.
This year's foreign troop death toll is approaching 600, making 2010 the deadliest year for NATO forces since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.
The total number of US and NATO casualties in the past 20 months are more than the entire death toll in the first seven years of the war.
According to official figures, since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, more than 2,100 NATO forces have been killed.
This is while Afghanistan's Baakhtar News Agency puts the overall death toll of foreign troops at about 4,500.
Several NATO member states are demanding an immediate draw-down of troops under pressure from public opinion.
JR/HGH/MMN |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/147469.html |
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wartsttocs
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 12:45 am Post subject: |
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NATO convoy attacked in Afghanistan
| Quote: | Afghan officials say Taliban militants have attacked a NATO convoy in southeastern Afghanistan, setting more than a dozen fuel tankers ablaze and killing at least three drivers.
A spokesman for the provincial governor said thirteen trucks carrying supplies for US-led foreign forces were destroyed in the Zabul Province attack, the Associated Press reported.
Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the attack that took place in Shahra Safa district on Thursday night.
Militants have stepped up attacks on NATO supply convoys in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan over the past weeks. During this period large numbers of NATO trucks have been torched in Pakistan alone.
Meanwhile, militants in Pakistan have warned they will continue attacks on NATO supply trucks as long as un-UN-sanctioned drone strikes target tribal areas.
In a separate development, a bomb attack has killed a district governor and his bodyguard in eastern Afghanistan.
The governor of Dur Baba in Nangarhar Province, identified only as Khorshid, was driving to work when the bomb struck his vehicle. Two more people were injured in the attack.
Khorshid is the second district governor to be killed in Afghanistan in the past month.
The security situation has been deteriorating across the war-torn country over the past few years.
Violence has spread from Afghanistan's volatile south to relatively peaceful areas over the course of the past year despite the presence of some 150,000 foreign troops. |
HJ/HRF/JR/HGH/MMN
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/147750.html |
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