Afghan Improvised Roadside Blasts Rise Sharply

From Yahoo News/Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Roadside bomb attacks on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan have risen sharply this autumn, reversing the seasonal decline that usually occurs with the onset of winter, according to Pentagon data released on Thursday.

The latest statistics for improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, show the number of incidents climbing 19 percent to 315 in November from 264 in October, with coalition casualties at 83 killed or wounded compared to 78 in October.

The data, made public by a Defense Department office set up to address the IED threat in Iraq and Afghanistan, said IED-related coalition deaths in Afghanistan fell to six in November from 13 in October but the number of troops wounded spiked to 75 from 65.

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