On Tuesday, the toll of American dead in Afghanistan passed 1,000, after a suicide bomb in Kabul killed at least five members of the US military. Having taken nearly seven years to reach the first 500 dead, the war killed the second 500 in fewer than two. The average age of the American service members being killed in Afghanistan is dropping. Last year the average age of service members killed in action in Afghanistan was about 26, down from 28 years old. This year the more than 125 troops killed in combat were on average just 25 years old.
Right now the U.S. military is preparing to complete a troop buildup in Afghanistan. Next month, American forces will push into the Kandahar Province – an offensive widely expected to be among the bloodiest of the ongoing occupation.
from The New York Times and The Huffington Post
