June deadliest month for NATO troops since Afghan war began
By Ernesto Londońo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 24, 2010; 10:17 AM
KABUL -- Four British troops were killed in a vehicle accident Wednesday in southern Afghanistan, making June the deadliest month for the U.S.-led NATO force since it began deploying in Afghanistan in 2002.
At least 79 NATO troops have died in Afghanistan so far this month, surpassing the previous record reached last August, when 76 troops were killed, according to a tally by icasualties.org. At least 46 of the service members killed this month were American.
Last October was the deadliest month for U.S. troops, with 59 casualties.
Thursday's grim milestone was reached on the day the top U.S. general in Afghanistan was relieved of command as a result of a magazine profile that portrayed him and his aides as dismissive of senior Obama administration officials.
President Obama on Wednesday nominated Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the U.S. Central Command, to replace ousted Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal.
In addition to the British soldiers killed in the vehicle accident Wednesday -- the British Defense Ministry said the four were members of a police training team in Helmand Province-- six other NATO troops were killed in bombings and a shooting earlier in the day. They included one American, two Romanians, one Briton and two service members whose nationalities were not immediately disclosed.
The spike in casualties comes as the U.S. military is deploying an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. The U.S.-led coalition has met stiff resistance in the Taliban strongholds that it is trying to secure.
Bookmarks