U.S. casualties in Afghanistan hit record

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A U.S. soldier passes by a damaged armored vehicle after it was destroyed Nov. 27 by a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. There were 110 U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan in 2007, the most since the U.S. led invasion in 2001.


U.S. casualties in Afghanistan hit record
By Jason Straziuso - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Dec 31, 2007 15:46:49 EST

KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. military deaths, suicide bombings and opium production hit record highs in 2007. Taliban militants killed more than 925 Afghan police, and large swaths of the country remain outside government control.

But U.S. officials here insist things are looking up: The Afghan army is assuming a larger combat role, and militants appear unlikely to mount a major spring offensive, as had been feared a year ago. Training for Afghan police is increasing.

Still, six years after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, violence persists in much of southern Afghanistan where the government has little presence, and recent militant attacks in Pakistan highlight a long-term regional problem with al-Qaida and the Taliban.

Civilian deaths caused by U.S. and NATO forces in the first half of the year rattled the government, and more foreign fighters flowed into the country.

Taliban fighters avoided head-on battles with U.S., NATO and Afghan army forces in 2007, resorting instead to ambushes and suicide bombings, but militants attacked the weakest of Afghan forces to devastating effect.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_afghanistan_casualties_071231/