BAGRAM, Afghanistan – The continued strengthening of Taliban militants and the expansion of U.S. and coalition troop footprints are part of the reason that foreign troop deaths in Afghanistan topped those in Iraq for the second straight month, according to troops and analysts. In June, at least 45 international troops – including 27 Americans – were reported killed in Afghanistan. In Iraq, 31 international troops – including 29 U.S. troops and one each from Georgia and Azerbaijan – died in June. The number of insurgent attacks in border regions of Afghanistan has increased by some 40 percent over last year, the Pentagon said in a report last week. Particularly in southern Afghanistan, the militant group has launched major operations, including an attack on the Kandahar prison that freed more than 800 prisoners. The Pentagon report forecast the attacks to continue at that pace or even increase. June has been the deadliest month for coalition troops since the invasion in 2001 dislodged the Taliban regime. Col. David E. Geyer, the commander of Task Force-Med at Bagram air base, said he wouldn’t have numbers available for a few days on how many patients were treated in June. But he […]