2007 deadliest for US in Afghanistan

NF Reporter · 11-10-2007, 12:15 PM

AP - Six U.S. troops were killed when insurgents ambushed their foot patrol in the high mountains of eastern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday. The attack, the most lethal against American forces this year, made 2007 the deadliest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion.

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waltky · 12-18-2007, 12:06 AM

U.S. rethinking Afghanistan mission...

U.S. reviews Afghanistan mission amid concerns
December 17, 2007 -- The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has launched a mission review; Review to focus on U.S. troop activities on Afghanistan's border with Pakistan; Senior U.S. military official: Taliban movement has become more diverse; The news of the review comes as officials tout progress in the Iraq war

Quote:

Amid rising concerns about lagging progress in Afghanistan, the top U.S. commander in the region has launched a review of the American mission there with a major focus on counterterrorism efforts, a senior U.S. military official said Sunday. Adm. William Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, has ordered senior staff to conduct a thorough review of the six-year-old war against al Qaeda and its Taliban allies in Afghanistan, the senior official confirmed to CNN.

The review has been under way for several weeks, and Fallon is not considering any new recommendations until its completion, the official said. The study, first reported by The New York Times, is focused on efforts by U.S. troops along Afghanistan's rugged border with Pakistan. U.S. intelligence concluded early this year that al Qaeda has carved a new safe haven since the overthrow of its Taliban hosts after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

The news comes as officials tout progress in Iraq, saying the country is experiencing its most significant dip in violence since the first year of the invasion. On Sunday, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the second-ranking U.S. general in Iraq, told The Associated Press that fewer weapons and fighters entered Iraq from Iran and Syria over the past month. And Iraq's Interior Ministry said civilian deaths caused by war-related violence in Iraq dropped for a third straight month in November.

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