3 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Ambush

U.N.'s Rep in Afghanistan Calls for Peace Talks with Taliban

(AP)  Last Updated 4:51 p.m. ET.

Three American soldiers died in a complex militant ambush in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, raising NATO's two-day August death toll to nine and continuing the bloodiest period of the eight-year war for U.S. and allied troops.

The U.N.'s representative in Afghanistan, meanwhile, called for peace talks with the Taliban's top leadership, saying deals with local militant commanders as proposed by Britain's foreign secretary would not be enough to end the violence.

Kai Eide's call is another indication that parts of the international community favor reaching out to the top echelons of the radical Islamist movement in their attempts to bring peace, as the conflict widens and Western public opinion wavers in the face of rising death tolls.

Militants in eastern Afghanistan killed the three U.S. troops with gunfire after attacking their convoy with a roadside bomb, the U.S. military said.

The deaths Sunday brought to nine the number of NATO troops killed this month, after six NATO troops died on Saturday. Six of the nine deaths were American. July was the deadliest month for international troops since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban government for sheltering al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, with 74 foreign troops, including 43 Americans, killed.

A record 62,000 U.S. troops are now in Afghanistan, more than double the number a year ago. President Barack Obama has increased the U.S. focus on Afghanistan as the Pentagon begins pulling troops out of Iraq. Other NATO countries have about 39,000 troops in Afghanistan.

"We have a lot more troops in country. We have a lot more operations ongoing, and it increases our contact with the enemy, and that unfortunately results in an increase in casualties," said Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, a U.S. military spokeswoman.

Sidenstricker said she could release no more details about Sunday's attack, including the province in eastern Afghanistan in which it occurred. Military officials still had to inform family members of the deaths, she said.

Three American troops, two Canadians and one French soldier died on Saturday.

(Left: A Marine carry team lifts a transfer case containing the remains of Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. Posey died July 30 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.)

Roadside bombs have become the militants' weapon of choice in Afghanistan, and the number of such attacks has spiked this year. U.S. troops say militants are now using bombs with little or no metal in them, making them even harder to detect. Militants are also planting multiple bombs on top of one another and planting several bombs in one small area.

U.S. commanders have long predicted a spike in violence in Afghanistan this summer, the country's traditional fighting season, and Taliban militants have promised to disrupt the country's Aug. 20 presidential election.

Eide, the U.N.'s chief in Afghanistan, said only talks with the top tier Taliban have a chance of bringing an end to the conflict.

"If you want relevant results, you have to talk to those who are relevant. If you want important results, you have to talk to those who are important. If you only have a partial reconciliation process, you will have partial results," Eide told reporters.

While the need for talks with the Taliban is recognized across the international community, the conditions attached to such proposals — and the timing of the talks — are a bone of contention.

President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly called for talks with Taliban leaders on condition that the militants accept Afghanistan's constitution and renounce violence. Karzai has even personally guaranteed safe passage for Taliban leader Mullah Omar if he attends such talks.

Omar, who is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, has publicly dismissed the overtures, calling Karzai an American puppet and saying no talks can happen while foreign troops are in the country.

Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has also said he expects talks to help end the Afghan conflict. But Mullen said the time was not yet right for negotiations.

Behind the public posturing, several Gulf countries are working on sketching out the contours of a political process that could eventually end the expanding conflict.

Eide's remarks follow calls made last week by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband for talks with regular Taliban fighters.

Miliband said that while hard-line fundamentalist commanders committed to a global jihad must be pursued relentlessly, rank-and-file Taliban should be given the opportunity "to leave the path of confrontation with the government."

He said Afghanistan's government must develop "a political strategy for dealing with the insurgency through reintegration and reconciliation" and "effective grass-roots initiatives to offer an alternative to fight or flight to the foot soldiers of the insurgency."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Washington agrees with the British analysis of the way forward.

Eide said his approach is more comprehensive.

"If you do want a comprehensive peace process, it is not enough to talk to the commanders on the ground," Eide said.

"It is a political process, and I think you also have to approach the more political structures of the insurgency movement," he said, without naming any insurgent leaders.

[robinspp]

No people will tolerate the occupation of a country. More troops will bring more causality, it happened in Iraq, now it is happening in Afghanistan. It is nature that the local people help the Taliban to fight the foreigners. For what we are fighting there, there is no oil. Are we fighting to get Opium? Iraq was a killing field, now it is Afghanistan. Bush killed so many thousands now Obama is trying to do the same thing. Where is human right?

[Aldymac]

The local people don't have guns, you simply don't know how much a gun in the hand of a terrorist can get a local to do what they are told, niether do you know what it's like looking down the barrel of a gun,or being shot at. If oil was all we are in Iraq for, we sure didn't get much of it.

[lars008-2009]

ummmm actually it was muslims killing muslims,,, that killed so many civilians,,, the iraqi military refused to fight the coalition forces,,, they would rather kill unarmed civilians,,,

[erasmus111]

by shazmispanks3 August 2, 2009 10:50 AM EDT

..Unbelievable liar Obama what a shame he fooled all of us this is not to say that we support the republicans hell no we just support only a good and an honorable man like Ron paul....



What the hell is this "WE" business? I don't think the Americans consider you one of them. : )

[lars008-2009]

interesting,,, has islam banned slavery of non-muslims yet???

[mysteriousjz]

May God ease the hellfire on these departed neo-crusader souls. And on those soon or one-day-to-be-souls of crusaders and of those who sympathize and support the bloodshed and bombing on people of the mudhouses; and of those delusional and paranoids called humans who are afriad of their own shadows and perpetuate a war with all might against people on donkeys and with sticks........ That God's punishment in his court will be heavy and no F16s and bombs will save you from never-ending hellfire

[Aldymac]

Islamic militants will bring down their own destruction through the hatred they possess for every one else.

[mysteriousjz]

May God ease the hellfire on these departed neo-crusader souls. And on those soon or one-day-to-be-souls of crusaders and of those who sympathize and support the bloodshed and bombing on people of the mudhouses; and of those delusional and paranoids called humans who are afriad of their own shadows and perpetuate a war with all might against people on donkeys and with sticks........ That God's punishment in his court will be heavy and no F16s and bombs will save you from never-ending hellfire

[underdogus09]

But do not think that I blame the hacks who report from Baghdad. They are being spoon-fed information by the US military and told where to go and when. Just like in the 1960s the US government was telling everyone how successful their troops had been in defeating the North Vietnamese. I sometimes wonder whether people in Washington actually remember who had won in Vietnam. Because judging by what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan they seem to be under an illusion that they are winning in a big way. Just like it supposedly happened in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia. "We showed 'em in Somalia, eh, Jack? Showed "em good." 'Yep, Bill, we sure kicked ass there.'

Watching all those Rambo films and stupid TV series like 24' does that to people, you know. We can only hope that President Barack Obama has no time to watch the box.....

[worldcitizen1]

The press had MUCH more freedom to report and film the carnage in Vietnam, i remember watching it on the nightly news. Truthful reporting and the draft were largely responsible for public opinion that ended that war. Reporters are much more limited by the military now!

[Aldymac]

According to General Giap, it was the American news media that helped the North Vietnamese win the war. The American forces beat Giaps forces to a pulp several times, even to the point that Giap was ready to surrender. You will find that in the journals of Giaps history at his tomb in Hanoi.

[underdogus09]

The more I hear about acts of terrorism in Iraq the more I start to wonder whether the so-called American "surge" last year, with 30,000 additional troops flown over there to conduct it, was a military operation or just a PR exercise to allow the US to claim that it was now safe to withdraw its troops. You think it sounds surreal? But isn't it also surreal that the world media seems to be covering events in Iraq from fortified bunkers that are guarded by American soldiers. In these situations you would be sympathetic to the side that is providing your safety, wouldn't you?....

[underdogus09]

Pardon for sounding sceptical but how is it exactly that the US top military brass sells the idea to the White House that things in Iraq have become so great that it would be no problem in pulling 100,000 American troops out of there in the next year or so without running the risk of igniting a civil war? As far as I can judge from the news coming from Iraq the situation there is far from improving, despite occasional much less frequent than before, mind you - rosy reporting from over there by the US media.....

[underdogus09]

Six troops were killed in Afghanistan Saturday, and three more died on Sunday a bloody start to August....

[quapawsix]

Our leaders have been suckered in. This whole thing sounds like a repeat of the Vietnam Tour these people have been fighting like this all of their lives and the lesson that has been forgotten here, there has been other Armies in the past that were sent home with their tails between their legs.
And You can't win when you are not allowed to chase them in to their safe havens. It's time to pull out or to the devil with this nation sovereignty issue's we need to be able to cross the Borders these other nations in the area don't seem to be able to handle their end of the bargain. The Vietcong used Cambodia as a safe place and we were not allowed to give chase in to Cambodia.

[worldcitizen1]

Do a little research, the US was bombing Laos and Cambodia and some fighting on the ground. There was no reason to fight in Vietnam, NOTHING to "win", just like Iraq and Afghanistan. War is a failure of leadership, a lack of wisdom and intelegence to settle matters peacefully. 9/11, what was the cause? Was the US just a victim of "terrorism", or was there more to the story? Cause and effect, action and reaction perhaps?

[underdogus09]

Britain's Disastrous Retreat from Kabul
In 1842 Afghanistan Massacre, Only One British Soldier Survived
Britain Invades Afghanistan

The British resolved to invade Afghanistan, and the Army of the Indus, a formidable force of more than 20,000 British and Indian troops, set off from India for Afghanistan in late 1838. After difficult travel through the mountain passes, the British reached Kabul in April 1839. They marched unopposed into the Afghan capital city.
http://history1800s.about.com/od/colonialwars/a/kabul1842.htm

[hower4]

The Afghan people don't want infidel foreigners taking control in their land. They never have and they never will.

[underdogus09]

Many who thought Obama would "change" US policies in Iraq and Afghanistan have been disappointed. Obama and Brown don't formulate policies; reps of powerful interest groups do...

[underdogus09]

"3 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Attack"Sound familiar? the Left attacked Bush regarding Iraq. Yet the Left seems to be giving Obama a free pass on Afghanistan....

[jwesel1]

Obama is as wrong as Bush. It's time the US people stop electing anyone because whoever comes is as stupid as the previous one. We're better off without a government

[hotpaulie]

Bush started the war in Iraq!!! Obama has inherited a mess, and just getting up and leaving is not a pragmatic solution.

[hower4]

Why not?

[hower4]

By the way, I assume you meant Afghanistan, not Iraq. All these funny foreign countries are so difficult to remember, aren't they?