The U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force in
Five more U.S. soldiers were killed Tuesday, while three Afghan workers for the British charity
The coalition says that casualties are rising as they push against the strongholds of the
U.S. and Afghan forces are expected to begin soon an offensive in Zhari and Panjwai, southwest of
Of the 22 American losses since Friday, 17 were the result of IEDs, according to figures provided by the ISAF. In that period, only one non-American coalition soldier was killed.
“”It has all been in the south and the east, where most of the kinetic activity is at the moment,”” said
While the other major operation in the south of
The coalition and Afghan forces say they’ve improved security in
“”Zhari and Panjwai are the last pieces of this problem set,”” said a senior ISAF officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak on the record. “”Today we own about 10 percent of those areas.””
The coalition is under pressure to demonstrate progress in