US deaths in Afghan war set new annual record, ‘tough slog’ ahead

US casualties in the Afghan war have set a new annual record with a total of 323 soldiers having been killed so far this year. The number surpasses 317 for all of 2009, which was more than double the previous record of 155, set in 2008.

The Afghan war continues taking a heavy toll on the lives of US soldiers, according to figures based on icasualties.org, an independent website. US forces suffered a gruesome spike in lost lives during August, a month which saw 56 deaths. Overall, the death toll on all foreign forces situated in Afghanistan has reached at least 490 for the first eight months of 2010, a number rapidly closing in on the 521 casualties in 2009, a record since the US occupation began in 2001. At least 1,270 American troops have lost their lives in the Afghan war since the US-led invasion began after the 9/11 attacks. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama warned of a “very tough fight” as he spoke to troops in Texas, according to The Telegraph. He added there will be more “heartbreak” to come as the casualties continue. “We obviously still have a very tough fight in Afghanistan,” the president said. "We have seen casualties go up because we are taking the fight to al-Qaeda and the Taliban," Obama continued. "It is going to be a tough slog." Military leaders say the increased number of US deaths is a reflection of additional troops being added to the Afghan theatre, which ultimately leads to increased numbers of engagements with insurgents in the battlefield. US General David Patraeus, commander of NATO and US forces in the Afghan war said Tuesday that deployments into the war-ravaged country will reach full strength of 150,000 within days. The Taliban-led insurgency against the foreign occupation is relying heavily on improvised explosive devices (IEDs), adapting their fighting capacities to counter heavy armor used by Western troops. A United Nations report in June showed an “alarming” 94 percent increase of IEDs during the first four months of this year compared to 2009. In July, the US government announced it was ready to deliver $3 billion worth of equipment - along with about 1,000 experts - to help counter the Taliban’s IED-making expertise. The new equipment is reported to include tethered surveillance blimps, heavily-armored vehicles, and detection machinery to deal with the escalating threat. Twenty-five Americans have lost their lives in Afghanistan since Friday, with seven soldiers killed on Monday and six losing their lives on Tuesday.