Four US soldiers have been killed in action in southern Afghanistan, the US military says.The deaths occurred in the province of Zabul, which has seen regular attacks by Islamic militants.
"Four US service members assigned to the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan were killed in action today... ," the statement said.
"Names will not be released until notification of next of kin is complete," it added.
[...]
The deaths represent one of the biggest losses for American forces since they began operations in Afghanistan more than two years ago.
The attacks have been blamed on remnants of the former Taleban regime.
With all the headlines grabbed by the Iraq campaign, the war in Afghanistan goes on but without much press.
(Via The Cool Blue Blog.) There is a similar uptick in anti-democratic violence to what were seeing in Iraq as Afghanistan is heading towards elections too. From a Reuters report, so assume the worst possible spin.
A growing Islamic insurgency in the south and east of Afghanistan and renegade factional militia based in the north and west are threatening security less than four months before landmark elections are due to be held.[...]
Logistical obstacles in a country shattered by decades of war and security concerns have hampered the process, raising questions over the wisdom of going through with the vote.
The U.S. military outlined plans this week to deploy the 10,000-strong Afghan National Army across Afghanistan to help secure registration and voting. It would work alongside the police, peacekeepers and 20,000 U.S.-led troops.
The 6,500 soldiers in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are almost exclusively restricted to Kabul, despite commitments to send forces countrywide.
NATO is under pressure from the Afghan government and its supporters in Washington to send extra troops and resources, although time is already running out.
"I think that the signals we are getting (from NATO) are reasonably solid," said ISAF spokesman Commander Chris Henderson.
He said three Black Hawk helicopters arrived in Kabul earlier Sunday from Turkey in "a tangible example of NATO support to ISAF and to Afghanistan."
Three helicoptors are "reasonably solid" assistance from the greatest military alliance of all-time? The fact that the Afghans and the U.S. have to beg NATO to send a few helicopters shows how interested John Kerry's "international community" is in fighting the GWOT. It's hard to see what real world benefits "internationalizing" the Iraq reconstruction would really bring.
Bunker Mulligan's son, "Slice," sends a first hand account from Afghanistan that should not be missed. He reports that things are picking up tempo but U.S. forces are still chipping away Taliban remnants and other "muj." He also posts a great picture with a local governor they call "J-Mo."
We're doing more good here than any bad is happening in Iraq. It's ashame no one is reporting on the real election story this year--the one in Afghanistan. It's a shame no good ever news makes the headlines anymore.
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