Record Highs

Sigh:

An aircraft crashed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing 14 British troops, the British defense ministry said.

The "aircraft was supporting a NATO mission. It went off the radar and crashed in an open area in Kandahar," said Maj. Scott Lundy, spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

Lundy said "there was no indication of an enemy attack." The crash happened about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the city of Kandahar, he said.

The British Ministry of Defense said Saturday said the dead included 12 Royal Air Force personnel, a Royal Marine and an army soldier.

The British troops are part of the NATO force battling Taliban militants to bring security to the volatile south of Afghanistan.

A witness said the aircraft went down at around 4:30 p.m. (1200 GMT) in Panjwayi district, where Afghan and NATO forces were conducting a major military operation against insurgents Saturday.

Shortly after the crash, a purported spokesman for the Taliban, Abdul Khaliq, claimed responsibility, but it was impossible to independently verify the claim.

"We used a Stinger missile to shoot down the aircraft," he said.

That brings this year's coalition death toll to 138, shattering last year's high of 130.  American deaths are "only" at 74 so far, compared to 99 in all of 2005, but there's still a quarter left in 2006.  Non-American troops deaths are already double the figure from last year.  At least the number of wounded looks to be slowing down.

And what are they dying and killing for?  Record levels of opium!

ntodd