THE DEATHS of four US soldiers in Afghanistan yesterday marked a grim milestone for the US-led mission in the country, ensuring that 2009 has become the deadliest year for the international force since the Taliban was toppled from power eight years ago.
Ever since US and British troops entered Afghanistan in 2001, the annual death toll for the international force has steadily risen in nearly every year, with a total of 294 soldiers losing their lives in the whole of 2008.
But though there are still four months of 2009 to go, total fatalities among all forces in the Nato mission have already surpassed last year’s total, and now stand at 295.
The sharp increase in fatalities in Afghanistan this year is nearly all due to the heavier losses suffered by US and British troops, who have been conducting a significant offensive against Taliban-controlled areas in Helmand province over the past few months.
US and British commanders warned, long before the current offensive began, that the build-up of US troops in the south of Afghanistan and the subsequent offensive would lead to a significant spike in casualties for both the US and the UK.
But while the increase in casualties was largely expected, recent days have seen US commanders sounding a grim note as they assess the scale of the challenge that the Taliban poses to the Nato alliance.
At the weekend, Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said the situation in Afghanistan was “serious and deteriorating”, adding: “The Taliban has gotten better, more sophisticated, in their tactics.”
On a visit to Kabul last week, Susan Collins, a US senator, said Gen Stanley McChrystal, the new US commander of Nato forces, had given a “chilling assessment” of the situation on the ground.
On her blog, she reported that Gen McChrystal was also using the phrase “serious and deteriorating” to describe the challenge facing the international alliance.
Nor are those challenges just in the south. US commanders are reporting that, in the east of the country, the network led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin is expanding the reach of its operations. The network, which has links to al-Qaeda, is reported to be using sanctuaries in Pakistan to launch attacks against US and Afghan forces.
The spike in US fatalities may make it more difficult for US President Barack Obama to meet a request from Gen McChrystal later this year for more troops to be sent to Afghanistan.
Some 21,000 extra US troops arrived in Afghanistan this year, taking the total number of US troops in the country to about 63,000. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009