DOD: US military casualties in Afghanistan as of July 13, 2012
Kabul : Afghanistan
Jul 14, 2012 at 5:53 AM PDT
By Karl Gotthardt
Another 11 US soldiers have paid the ultimate price during the past week in Afghanistan. The world woke up to the news this mornining that 23 people were killed by a suicide bomber, when he blew himself up in a wedding hall in northern Afghanistan.
The total U.S. military death toll so far this year is 136 soldiers, while another 1041 have been wounded in action (WIA). Add to that the civilian casualty rate, which is much higher than the military's, the question arises "What exactly has been accomplished during 11 years of war?"
In May, on the anniversary of Bin Laden's death, President Obama had his "Mission Accomplished" moment, when he declared that the war in Afghanistan as we know it, is over. He secretly traveled to Afghanistan, met with troops, then went to Kabul to sign the Strategic Partnership Agreement with President Hamid Karzai.
In his prime time address to the American people from Kabul, President Obama said in part:
"Tonight, I can tell you that we are fulfilling that commitment. Thanks to our men and women in uniform, our civilian personnel, and our many coalition partners, we are meeting our goals. As a result, starting next month, we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and we will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer, fully recovering the surge I announced at West Point. After this initial reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan Security forces move into the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2014, this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/12591335-dod-us-military-casualties-in-afghanistan-as-of-july-13-2012
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