The grim numbers that used to attach to casualty reports from Iraq from 2004 to 2008 are now attaching to monthly reports from Afghanistan. At least 75 American and coalition soldiers were killed there in July (39 of them American, 22 British), by far the highest single-month tally since the Afghan war began in October 2001. The closest single-month figure to that toll was in June 2008, when 46 coalition soldiers were killed.
Since 2001, 759 American soldiers and 517 coalition soldiers have been killed for a total of 1,276. Added to the tally in Iraq, the two wars have now claimed 5,922 soldiers--a fraction of the number of Iraqi and Afghan civilians killed over the decade. But those comparisons have virtually no relevance when it comes to how the American or British public sees the wars, let alone how the two countries' respective political class sees them: Iraqi and Afghan civilians are, ironically, much more a concern to the military forces on the ground than they are either to the public or to politicians back home (to whom civilians might as well not exist).
In Britain, a majority of the British public thinks the Afghan war unwinnable. Most think even the ongoing assault in Helman Province, in the south of the country, is a lost cause despite the influx of thousands of fresh American troops.
On Aug. 16, 2009, the secretary general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, was compelled to release a statement on mounting casualties:
As NATO Secretary General, it is with great sadness that I recognise that over 200 brave and professional British servicemen and women have now lost their lives in Afghanistan.Here's a complete chart of US and NATO troops and their casualties in Afghanistan as of August 2009.I feel these losses keenly, as I feel the losses of other nations serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. My thoughts go out to all the families affected, as does my gratitude to the troop contributing nations as a whole for the essential contribution they are making to the international effort in Afghanistan.
NATO and US Troops in Afghanistan
| Rank | Country | # of Troops as of 7/09 | # of Casualties as of 8/09 |
| 1 | United States | 64,000 | 782 |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 9,000 | 204 |
| 3 | Germany | 4,050 | 33 |
| 4 | France | 3,160 | 29 |
| 5 | Canada | 2,800 | 127 |
| 6 | Italy | 2,795 | 15 |
| 7 | Poland | 2,000 | 10 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 1,770 | 19 |
| 9 | Australia | 1,090 | 11 |
| 10 | Romania | 1,025 | 11 |
| 11 | Spain | 780 | 25 |
| 12 | Turkey | 730 | 2 |
| 13 | Denmark | 700 | 24 |
| 14 | Belgium | 510 | 0 |
| 15 | Sweden | 430 | 2 |
| 16 | Norway | 485 | 4 |
| 17 | Bulgaria | 470 | 0 |
| 18 | Czech R. | 340 | 3 |
| 19 | Hungary | 310 | 2 |
| 20 | Croatia | 295 | 0 |
| 21 | Slovakia | 230 | 0 |
| 22 | Lithuania | 200 | 1 |
| 23 | Macedonia | 165 | 0 |
| 23 | Latvia | 165 | 0 |
| 25 | New Zealand | 160 | 0 |
| 26 | Estonia | 150 | 4 |
| 27 | Greece | 145 | 0 |
| 28 | Albania | 140 | 0 |
| 29 | Finland | 110 | 1 |
| 30 | Azerbaijan | 90 | 0 |
| 30 | Portugal | 90 | 2 |
| 32 | Slovenia | 80 | 0 |
| 33 | UAE | 25 | 0 |
| 34 | Ukraine | 10 | 0 |
| 35 | Luxemburg | 9 | 0 |
| 36 | Singapore | 8 | 0 |
| 36 | Iceland | 8 | 0 |
| 38 | Jordan | 7 | 0 |
| 38 | Ireland | 7 | 0 |
| 40 | Austria | 3 | 0 |
| 41 | Georgia | 1 | 0 |
| Totals: | 98,543 | ||
| 1,311 | |||
| Sources: NATO, icasualties.org | |||
