Attrition: Bloodier Afghanistan

Archives

November 8, 2009: At the height of the fighting in Iraq, about 4.8 percent of the troops there were being wounded each year. Currently, in Afghanistan, 6.2 percent are being wounded. Part of this is due to the increasing use of roadside bombs, which is now on the same scale as Iraq, at its worst. But there's also a lot more ground combat. The Afghan enemy is more likely to stand and fight that their Iraqi counterparts. The Afghans not only fight more, but they fight smarter. They have made much greater use of human shields, taking cover among civilians, knowing that the American ROE (Rules of Engagement) put great emphasis on avoiding civilian casualties. This often results in greater American casualties.

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contribute. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   contribute   Close