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Jul 14th, 2010


24 Hours in Afghanistan: 8 U.S. Troops Killed

Taliban militants ratcheting up suicide attacks and bombings

Video

Deadly day for U.S. troops in Kandahar (NBC Nightly News, July 14, 2010) — General Petraeus’ warning that things would probably get worse for U.S troops in Afghanistan this summer before they got better has proven true. NBC’s Jim Maceda reports. (02:05)

The Associated Press and Reuters via MSNBC.com
July 14, 2010

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Eight American troops were killed in a series of attacks in southern Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday as Taliban militants pushed back against an effort to secure the volatile region.

A suicide attacker slammed a car bomb into the gate of the headquarters of the elite Afghan National Civil Order Police late Tuesday in Kandahar, a NATO statement said. Minutes later, insurgents opened fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

Three U.S. troops, an Afghan policeman and five civilians died in the attack, but NATO said the insurgents failed to enter the compound. …

Loyalty sought

NATO and Afghan troops are fanning out elsewhere in Kandahar province to pressure insurgents in rural areas. The strategy is to improve security with more and better-trained police and troops so that capable governance can take root and development projects can move forward and win the loyalty of ordinary Afghans.

The Taliban have responded by ratcheting up suicide attacks and bombings, making last month the deadliest of the nearly 9-year-old war for international forces. …

Bloody July

On Wednesday, four more American troops were killed by a roadside bomb in the south, while one more U.S. service member died the same day of wounds from a gunbattle.

So far in July, 45 international troops have died in Afghanistan, 33 of them Americans. June saw more than 100 troops killed — the bloodiest month of the nine-year-old war.

Wednesday’s deaths bring to 12 the number of foreign troops killed in the past 24 hours.

Another ISAF member died on Wednesday in a separate insurgent attack, NATO said.

In the most shocking incident, three members of the British Gurkha regiment were killed when an Afghan National Army soldier they were serving alongside turned on them with a machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenade before escaping. …

The rapid creation of a national army and police force since the Taliban’s ousting and following decades of war has seen tens of thousands of Afghans join the security services, and there are fears insurgents may also have signed up.

In other attacks around the country, nine Afghan civilians died in the south when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in the volatile district of Marjah in Helmand province, the Ministry of Interior said. Another homemade bomb killed two security guards traveling on a road in eastern Paktika province. …

———

FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — July 14, 2009

Iraq-Afghanistan Casualties


An Army carry team carries a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Chester W. Hosford of Hastings, Minn., Wednesday July 8, 2009 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. The transfer cases of 2nd Lt. Derwin I. Williams of Glenwood, Ill., second from right, and Pfc. Nicholas Gideon of Murrieta Calif., right, are already loaded into the transfer vehicle. According to the Department of Defense, all three soldiers died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo credit: Associated Press / Steve Ruark)

One-year retrospective: One year ago today, I provided my weekly report of U.S. military deaths in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I also reported that July 2009 was shaping up to be the deadliest month of the Afghanistan war for U.S.-led international forces, with the number killed by mid-month already matching the highest full-month toll of the nearly eight-year conflict.





4 Responses to “24 Minus 8 in Afghanistan”
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