Afghan Combat Deaths Nearly Double In 2013

Afghan National Army soldiers walk on patrol in the town of Shah joy in Zabul province, southern Afghanistan, February 12, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Baz Ratner

Afghan Combat Deaths Nearly Double In 2013 Fighting Season, US Casualties Drop -- RIA Novosti

As US military forces prepare to make a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan new figures reveal that nearly 80 percent more Afghan security forces were killed in the summer of 2013, compared to 2012, while the Afghan army experienced a 34% attrition rate.

A report from the Department of Defense made public Friday revealed that the number of Afghans killed each week surpassed more than 100 earlier this year. US officials, while refusing to release the figures these percentages are based on, also said that combat deaths among American and coalition troops fell by almost 60 percent over the same time.

Along with combat deaths, the one other startling figure included in the report is the nearly 35% attrition rate for the Afghan military over a one-year period, representing the loss of over 67 thousand troops. According to the DoD’s official figures those losses appear to have been covered by ongoing recruitment.

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My Comment: Even though Afghan military casualties have doubled .... the U.S. military is still of the opinion that everything is still on track. As to what is my take ....  a 34% attrition rate is a guarantee that the Afghan military will implode in a very short time.