Record 151 US troops die in Afghanistan in 2008 - military says likely to get even bloodier

[bigtree]

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A record 151 U.S. forces died in Afghanistan in 2008, the deadliest year yet in a seven-year war that military officials say is likely to get even bloodier in 2009, as thousands more American troops pour into the country.

The number of roadside bombs doubled from the year before to roughly 2,000, with many of the devices more powerful than in previous years.

Unlike in 2007, when militants carried out ambushes only in small numbers, insurgents over the last year massed in groups of hundreds on multiple occasions. Some 200 militants nearly overran a small U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan in July, launching an early morning attack that killed nine U.S. troops.

U.S. forces suffered an average of 21 deaths in Afghanistan each month this year from May to October — by far the deadliest six-month period in Afghanistan for American soldiers since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban.

Col. Jerry O'Hara, a U.S. military spokesman, said Afghanistan is a "work in progress"


read: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD95DP4HG0

[rfranklin]

1. Gee, what we really need now is a "surge!"

We will be there forever, guarding the pipelines.

[High Plains]

2. And Obama wants to send 20,000 more troops into the meat grinder.

We need to declare victory and withdraw instead.

[K Gardner]

3. Frontline: The War Briefing - Anyone interested in Afghanistan needs to watch this. I saw it

last night and it completely changed my mind about Afghanistan. One of the BEST documentaries I've ever seen on PBS. It can also be viewed online. The one thing that truly surprised me: the natural beauty of the interior of this country.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warbriefing/

[bigtree]

4. beauty, in some areas, yes

harsh land, though . . . and pockets of astounding poverty