[Peace-discuss] This to stop terrorism?

[C. G. Estabrook]

	U.S. death toll in Afghanistan hits 1,000: website
	Michael Georgy
	KABUL, Afghanistan
	Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:10am EST

KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The number of American soldiers killed in 
Afghanistan has reached 1,000, an independent website said on Tuesday, a grim 
reminder that eight years of fighting has failed to defeat Taliban insurgents.

Icasualties.org said 54 U.S. troops were killed this year in Afghanistan, 
raising the casualties to 1,000, compared to eight in Iraq, where the total has 
reached 4,378. The rise to 1,000 dead coincides with one of the biggest 
offensives against the Taliban, a NATO-led assault in the Marjah district of 
Helmand, Afghanistan's most violent province.

The operation is an early test of U.S. President Barack Obama's troop surge 
strategy aimed as wresting control of Taliban bastions and handing them over to 
Afghan authorities before the start of a gradual U.S. troop withdrawal in 2011.

Afghanistan is high on Obama's foreign policy agenda and more American 
casualties or a military campaign that fails to bring stability to the country 
could harm his presidency.

Violence is at its highest level since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban. Last year 
was the deadliest of the war for civilians and foreign troops.

Marjah is a prime example of the challenge facing U.S. troops and their NATO 
allies. They have taken over key areas, but still face pockets of stiff 
resistance from the Taliban, who have littered roads with hidden bombs.

The success of the operation hinges on whether they can keep Taliban fighters 
from re-capturing their stronghold and ensure Afghan forces can secure the area 
on their own.

Ultimately Marjah can only be stable once the local government provides enough 
jobs and economic opportunities to keep the local population on its side, 
eradicating conditions that breed militancy, analysts say.

Obama announced in December he was adding 30,000 more U.S. troops to the Afghan 
war effort. He hopes to start bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan in the 
middle of 2011.

(Editing by Bryson Hull and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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