By Laura King,LA Times
Roadside Bombs are a way of life in Afghanistan for US Troops
The pace of American combat deaths in Afghanistan has quickened anew as roadside bombs killed five U.S. troops in 24 hours in the same western province,the American military said Thursday.
The deaths bring to 11 the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan so far in August,on the heels of what was the worst month for Western and U.S. troop fatalities since the conflict began in 2001. Forty-three American military personnel died in July.
Violence has been surging in advance of Afghanistan’s presidential and provincial assembly elections,which are two weeks away. In addition to the troop fatalities,a total of 26 Afghans,most of them members of a wedding party,were reported killed in roadside bombings Thursday.
The U.S. deaths occurred in Farah province,bordering Iran,where a force consisting mainly of U.S. Marines staffs a string of small forward operating bases set deep in the desert. They are connected by a route American forces have been struggling for months to keep free of roadside bombs,which have made travel extremely dangerous for villagers and military convoys alike.