In January and February of 2009, 32 coalition troops were killed in IED attacks, more than a threefold increase over the same period in 2008. The number wounded also rose to 96 from 39, reflecting the enormous increase in violence over the last year (which was itself the most violent year since the war began).

Sen. Reed from the Armed Services Committee said that the rising toll was a “reflection of the increased activity of the Taliban,” adding “they’re adopting the tactics used by insurgents in Iraq.”

Even beyond the IEDs, this winter has been radically more violent than the previous year, which the US military has attributed to the relatively mild winter. It had been widely expected, as the Obama Administration prepares to escalate the war, that the toll in 2009 with be considerable worse than 2008 was.

Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz

• Homegrown US 'Terror Plots' Drop, But Nation Still 'On Edge' - February 9th, 2012
• Amputations Soared Among US Troops in 2011 - February 9th, 2012
• US Still Can't Find Missing Libyan Missiles - February 9th, 2012
• Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood: Let Us Form Government - February 9th, 2012
• As Reports of Violence Grow in Syria, So Do Western Calls for Intervention - February 9th, 2012