US Military Deaths in Afghanistan at 2119

UT San Diego | AP | As of Tuesday, July 30, 2013, at least 2,119 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count.

The AP count is three less than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Tuesday at 10 a.m. EDT.

At least 1,757 military service members have died in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. 

READ MORE

India, Pakistan Fear 'Surplus Terrorism' after Afghan Pullout

The Times of India | WASHINGTON - India and Pakistan fear that any instability in the war-torn Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troops could result in "surplus terrorism" in both the countries, a top US official has said.

At the same time he said that the US believes both India and Pakistan will play significant roles in Afghanistan in the coming years.

"I think both Pakistan and India will play and ought to play very important, significant roles going forward in Afghanistan" said Peter Lavoy, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asia Pacific Security Affairs.

READ MORE

REPORT: US Troop Withdrawl to Cause Reunion of Afghan-Pak Taliban Militants

Afghanistan Sun (ANI) | Thursday 25th July, 2013 | An official strategy document on counter-terrorism has warned that the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan will further boost the morale of the Pakistani Taliban. The assessment by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in a document named 'Checkmating Terrorism: A Counter-Terrorism Strategy' has revealed that US-led foreign troop withdrawal will create a sense of euphoria among the Afghan Taliban and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants, the Dawn News reports.

READ MORE

U.S. Casualties Hit 5-Year Low in Afghanistan as Troops’ Role Turns to Advising

Jay Price | McClatchy Foreign Staff | KABUL, Afghanistan — The shift to Afghan security forces leading in combat and the ongoing reduction of U.S. troops here have driven American casualties during the first half of 2013 to the lowest level in five years.

"Afghan National Security Forces are primarily the units in contact with enemy forces, rather than ISAF personnel," Lt. Tamarac Dyer, a spokeswoman for the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) wrote in an emailed response to questions about casualties. In the first six months of the year, 72 American troops were killed in Afghanistan, according to icasualties.org, a web site that tracks casualties.

The last year when casualties were that low for the same period was 2008. Then, 66 Americans died in between January and June, and 155 were killed in the full year. The worst year for U.S. casualties was 2010, when 499 Americans died. All told, more than 2,200 U.S. troops have been killed since the war began in 2001.

READ MORE

Karzai Would be ‘Wise to Leave With US Forces’ Before Taliban Retakes Afghanistan

Hamid Karzai is unlikely to remain president of Afghanistan after US troops leave the country, defense consultant Moeen Raoof told RT.  The Taliban, a longtime enemy of the US-backed Karzai administration, is expected to regain control after 11 years. 

Russia Today | RT: The US State Department is hesitating to define the Taliban’s current status - whether it is a terrorist group, a political force, or both. Why is it so reticent?

Moeen Raoof: I don’t think they are dealing with the actual Taliban, because Mullah Omar has not endorsed the starting up of the office in Doha. So the Americans are not sure who they are dealing with, and if they are dealing with the Taliban, it’s probably Taliban light. Mullah Omar is a very powerful person, and he has to sign off on these kinds of peace talks. And Secretary Kerry seems to be stumbling all the time. He is stumbling with the peace talks in Syria, and all of a sudden there is confusion about the peace talks in Doha, Qatar. So I’m not sure that they are really talking to the Taliban directly.

Read  More...

The Reality Of Afghanistan

Forbes | Tuesday 25th June, 2013 | The United States made a decision to withdraw from Afghanistan several years ago. That decision carried with it an inevitable logic. Once the United States resolved itself to leave at any cost, its failures up to that point were laid bare, as were the vulnerabilities of the government it had spent more than a decade building. The door was opened for the enemies of the regime of President Hamid Karzai -- the man who has been synonymous with the post-Taliban government. All that was left to do was wait for the American pullback. READ MORE

Five Americans Killed in Helicopter Crash in Southern Afghanistan

Star Telegram | KABUL, Afghanistan -- A helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan has killed five American service members, officials said Tuesday. Monday night's crash brought the total number of U.S. troops killed that day to seven, making it the deadliest day for U.S. forces so far this year. Two U.S. special operations forces were gunned down hours earlier in an insider attack by an Afghan policeman in eastern Afghanistan. (READ MORE)