Another year is coming to a close in Afghanistan, and once again we reflect on the record toll of the war, as over 700 NATO troops have been killed in Afghanistan in 2010. The number is far higher than the figure for 2009, and more than double the toll of 2008, the highest death toll during the Bush Administration.
The figures since 2003 have shown a consistent increase in casualties every year, as the US and its NATO allies pour more and more troops into an ever worsening war. The dramatic escalations of the Obama Administration were spun as a major strategy change, but the end result was just a much faster rate of increase in NATO deaths.
All told, some 1,230 NATO troops have died since January 1, 2009, more than the entire death toll from the 2001 US invasion through the end of 2008. Once again, the NATO toll was overwhelmingly US troops, with nearly 500 Americans slain in 2010, and 317 slain in 2009.
Despite some claims of non-specific progress from the Obama Administration, most experts a projecting that 2011 will be an even deadlier year than 2010, meaning that the trend toward ever increasing deaths will continue unabated.
Ditz why don't you tell readers that most of those "NATO" soldiers were US soldiers?
This month you have not reported on one death in Helmand where 16 of the 32 US soldiers killed in Afghanistan died in December.
Your latest article reprinted from Time Magazine gives a totally false impression that progress is being made in Kandahar when next door in Helmand a US soldier dies every other day. But how would any one know that when the so called alternative press doesn't seem to have a clue as to what is going on. One of the US generals actually claimed that we were making progress in Helmand province the other day. How could anyone refute that claim when even Antiwar appears committed to reporting the most vague casualty figures. And runs a headline story concerning Iran that repeats the same lies as the corporate press. Jason Raimondo wants to be part of a coalition
with the left to fight US imperialism in the Middle East. Sorry Raimondo. If you want to continue printing the lies of the right than stand on the other side of the street by yourself because you are part of it.
NATO = US, the World knows it. Mr. Ditz is published in other publications as well, consequential democracy requires some sort of self-censorship.
The US used the UN moniker during Vietnam.In any event why would anyone other than the corporate press insiston hiding casualties under a “Nato soldier was killed in the southernpart of the country”, when in a few hours lateryou could report the name of the soldier, his nationality, where hewas killed, and with the exception of Helmand province, how he waskilled. Than you could see that 17 soldiers died this month inHelmand and everyone would know that the general who said we aremaking progress in Helmand was lying.
Hey tommauel, Its not 'rocket science' to look up US casualties or Nato casualties on antiwar! surely you, me and anybody else just go's to US Casualties towards the top of the home page and recieves all the info one could want.
I wonder who came up with calling soldiers "troops". No doubt because "soldier" sounds too warlike. It becomes absurd when deaths are counted: 700 "troops"? One troop should consist of a group of soldiers, like a squad or a platoon. At least we have so far not seen a story say, "one troop was killed yesterday."
No offense meant to you of course, Jason Ditz. I know this is how the newspapers write it, and we are all affected by them.
Nevertheless. This reminds me of how an invasion is called a liberation, and how an occupation is called counter-insurgency or simply "the American presence." And how actual, honest-to-god mercenaries, in private companies paid by the United States government to fight and kill and die, are called … "contractors."
Like George Orwell wrote, "A mass of Latin words falls upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outline and covering up all the details." It's in his essay Politics and the English Language — Google it, it is well worth the reading.
Let's call a spade a spade, beginning with calling the soldiers and mercenaries for what they are. The right words have a certain edge to them.
Good reporting though, Ditz. And I trust you will ignore the quacking of tommauel here above, what a weirdo – can't have too many friends, that snappy fella. How would we find all these facts so succinctly without Antiwar?
Carp!–Ditz has faults–Tom has a point.Antiwar does have leanings towards war.Example Iran bashing or Justin's Arabs did the 9/II attacks :^(
Happy New Year DitZZZZZZ!
It isn't just Antiwar. Another left wing site Democracynow.org does not even report US combat deaths in Afghanistan unless a half dozen soldiers die in a copter crash. The same is true with the corporate media. Unless there is a very large death toll no casualties are reported and the war is simply ignored.
There is a big hole in the reporting media and those that are interested would like to have these casualties reported because that is what would help stop this war. The military knows that. The press knows it. Do you think the generals could brag about progress in Helmand province when 16 US soldiers have died there this December alone. Something is going very wrong in Helmand for the US military but they have managed to sweep the whole catastrophe under the rug.
As for friends, if a person reading this site believes that US casualties can only be reported under the phony moniker of "UN" soldiers that died in the Southern part of the country, with no follow up when 90% of the time it turns out to be a US soldier than you are no friend of mind. You are a wimpy pillow fighter who is doing nothing to stop the war and everything to cover up the failure that is Afghanistan.
Only 700? How many civilians has the US droned in just the past 2 days? Oh, yes, I believe it's about 45. How's that for 'an eye for an eye' eh? Oh, never mind that, I forgot that Amerikans are as mathematically challenged as they are challenged in geography, morals, humanity and everything else that's not ego, exceptionalism and denial.
The US government learned from Vietnam a lesson. Now the MSM worked side by side with spreading misinformation about the casualties to prevent mishap and anger among population. In fact the DoD got special way of convincing the agrieved families to keep their mouths shut using money and intimidation to quiet & silence them. Therefore, the number 700 is digistable, however, there's a number which is hidden from public. Hence, the people who kill their own by the thousands to justify a war on terrorism would have no problem spelling lies after lies.