A Year in Iraq and Afghanistan
It's no secret that Afghanistan has replaced Iraq as the central front in America's struggle against Islamic extremism. Indeed, as illustrated by the chart below (based on data from the Pentagon and icasualties.org, an independent research group), in 2009 there were 498 American and allied deaths in Afghanistan as compared with 141 in Iraq.
While the loss of any American life is tragic, it's important to point out that the Iraq figure is down from 306 fatalities in 2008, and that most of these deaths took place in Baghdad and surrounding towns, a sign that the United States is making progress in turning the counterinsurgency efforts over to Iraqi military and police forces.
The news from Afghanistan is far less heartening. The death toll is up by 40 percent from last year, and that's without including fatalities among Afghan Army and security personnel. Most of the deaths are occurring on the battlefield (unlike in Iraq, where half the fatalities weren't related to combat), an indication of the intensity of the fighting. And while many see the war in Afghanistan as an American effort, the colors on the chart show the extent to which the Western allies are sharing the deadly burden.
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