Afghanistan: August, the deadliest month for U.S. troops

KABUL - A soldier died Tuesday from wounds reeived Monday in an explosion of a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, while August was the deadliest month for international forces since their arrival in the country, said NATO.

•     NATO did not say exactly where the soldier was mortally wounded in southern Afghanistan's most violent region of the country and Taliban stronghold where foreign troops have been leading months of extensive operations to reduce the rebels.
  
      The death of the soldier brings to 183 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the start of the year, according to the website dedicated icasualties.org.
  
      With 51 deaths, August was the deadliest month for U.S. troops since the beginning of his involvement in the country in late 2001 when the Taliban were driven from power by an international coalition led by the United States.
  
      It is also the month that broke the record of foreign soldiers killed, all nationalities, with 77 deaths. July was previously the deadliest month with 76 deaths.
  
      After eight months, 2009 is already the deadliest year for international forces in eight years of presence in Afghanistan, with 310 deaths in total.
  
      In 2008, 294 soldiers from international forces, comprising two-thirds of American troops had died.
  
      The violence of the Afghan insurgents have continued to expand and intensify. They reach for several months to record levels and had increased further with the approach of presidential and provincial elections of 20 August, despite the presence of some 100,000 foreign troops.
  
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.