How About some Numbers?

As of June 2008 there are roughly 48, 250 troops in Afghanistan. The number of troops in Afghanistan started to increase greatly after 2006. The number was increased from 26,607 troops in January 2008 to 48, 250 in June in 5 months alone. The Bush administration didn't start increasing the troops in Afghanistan until the fighting started to be more dangerous for American troops. So far this year there have been 113 deaths in Afghanistan last year there were 111 deaths. Compared to the number of troops in Afghanistan the rate of death in US soldiers is significantly higher than that of US soldiers in Iraq. There are still about 146,000 troops in Iraq to date. Even though the situation seems to be getting significantly better.

The insurgent attacks have become more intense in the last couple of years. Their tactics have also changed, making it harder for the US soldiers. The many terrorist groups in Afghanistan including the Taliban still thrive. Al Qaeda itself is connected with many other dangerous terrorist groups around the world. Including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the several bases they hold around the world. The connections that Al Qaeda holds and the fact that they have bases all around the world is the most scary thing about the organization. The main 'troops' and leaders are in Afghanistan (Pakistan now) though, and we need to take advantage of this knowledge. If we take this opportunity to cripple the main base the bases spread all over won't have their central command.