U.S. war dead in 2007: Update the toll

Last update: November 10, 2007 - 6:04 PM

LOST IN AFGHANISTAN

Six U.S. troops were killed in the high mountains of eastern Afghanistan late Friday. It was the most lethal attack in a year that has been the deadliest for the U.S. military in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion.

The deaths bring the total number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan this year to at least 101, according to a count by the Associated Press.

The troops were returning from a meeting with village elders late Friday afternoon in Nuristan Province when insurgents attacked them with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire in a "complex ambush," said Lt. Col. David Accetta, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force and the U.S. military.

Three Afghan soldiers also were killed in the ambush, while eight Americans and 11 Afghans were wounded. The 14 total U.S. casualties was the highest number of killed and wounded from a battle in Afghanistan this year, Accetta said.

"With Sunday being Veterans Day, this is a reminder of the sacrifices that our troops and our Afghan partners make for the peace and stability of the Afghan people," Accetta said.

LOST IN IRAQ

A grim milestone passed last week in Iraq: Seven new deaths made 2007 the bloodiest year for American forces in Iraq. With nearly two months left in the year, the toll is now 854 -- four more than the previous worst of 850 in 2004. The milestone comes despite a significant decline in casualties and a sharp drop in roadside bombings.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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