U.S. Army soldiers listen as Staff Sgt. William Fullerton, second from left, gives a pre-mission brief before going on Task Force Gladius patrol from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, July 4, 2009. Fullerton and fellow soldiers are assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's Company B, Special Troops Battalion. When preparing for missions, soldiers receive and participate in briefs to enhance their situational awareness of the operational area. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Richard W. Jones Jr.From Foreign Policy Blog:
June was the bloodiest month of the war in Afghanistan, reports John McCreary, the former DIA analyst who follows the fighting there closely. This seems to be shifting to a war of roadside bombs, very different from the war of a few years ago.
The unclassified fighting data for June 2009 establish it as the most bloody month in the 8 year history of the US and Coalition presence. According to icasualties.org, 38 ISAF and NATO soldiers died (27 US, 2 UK, 2 Canada, 1 Estonia, 3 Denmark, 3 German); 23 -- 60% -- from roadside bombs. The only months in which NATO deaths were higher were June and August 2008 during the summer offensive last year, but adding in the number of wounded, June 2009 is the worst month of the 8 year fight.
Unclassified data show that 85 men were wounded, including 28 US, 5 UK, 7 Netherlands, 3 Poland, 1 Australia, 3 Estonia, 4 Italy, 1 Denmark, 1 France, 4 Canada. In addition, 27 other International Security Assistance Force personnel were reported wounded by reliable sources but not identified by nationality."
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Update: Four NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan violence -- AFP
My Comment: These stats are already old. 15 soldiers from Britain have already been killed in the month of July, and as the U.S. marine operations in the south of Afghanistan intensify, more casualties are expected.