Afghanistan Now Most Dangerous for U.S. Troops

In a stunning turnaround, Afghanistan is now a more dangerous place for U.S. troops than Iraq. The death rate for U.S. troops in Afghanistan is now nearly twice the rate for those in Iraq, according to an analysis by ABC News. It's a good news/bad news story.

On one hand, security in Iraq has dramatically improved and as a result the number of U.S. troops killed and wounded has dropped considerably. October and November have been two of the least deadly months in Iraq since the invasion in March 2003. In fact, it's the lowest two-month total of U.S. combat deaths in Iraq in nearly three years. (Not since January-February 2004 have fewer U.S. troops died in a two-month period).

For the 23,000 Marines in Iraq, most of whom operate in Anbar province, the improvement has been especially dramatic. No Marine has been killed in combat in Iraq since Lance Cpl. Jeremy W. Burris of Tacoma, Wash., was shot in Anbar Oct. 8 (although just a few days ago a Marine was killed in a vehicle accident). More...