KABUL — A Fort Carson soldier died Friday when his vehicle struck a bomb in eastern Afghanistan, making August the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the nearly eight-year war.
The grim milestone comes as the top U.S. commander prepares to submit his assessment of the conflict — a report expected to trigger intense debate on the Obama administration’s strategy in an increasingly unpopular war.
A brief statement by the NATO command gave few details of the blast and did not say precisely where it occurred.
The Defense Department identified the soldier as Pfc. Matthew E. Wildes, 18, of Hammond, La. Wildes, who was part of Fort Carson’s 4th Infantry Division, went to Afghanistan in May to patrol a four-province area along the Pakistan border. His death brought to 45 the number of U.S. service members killed this month in the Afghan war — one more than the previous monthly record, set in July.
A record 62,000 U.S. troops are now in the country, with 4,000 more due before year’s end. That compares with about 130,000 in Iraq, most due to leave next year.
At least 732 U.S. service members have died in the Afghan war since the U.S.-led invasion of late 2001. Nearly 60 percent of those deaths occurred since the Taliban insurgency began to rebound in 2007.
The latest death was reported as Afghan officials announced an 80 percent increase in the number of major fraud allegations submitted after last week’s disputed presidential election — a sign of the deep challenges facing the U.S. and its allies in shoring up a legitimate Afghan government capable of withstanding the Taliban insurgency, corruption and drug trafficking.
