August deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan

August has been the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the conflict began nearly 10 years ago.


Brian R. Bill was among those that died in the August Chinook crash.

Sixty-six American troops have died this month, topping July 2010 when 65 troops died, according to a CNN tally.

Almost half the August troop deaths took place on August 6 when insurgents shot down their helicopter in the eastern central province of Wardak.

Thirty U.S. service members - including 17 Navy SEALs - were killed in that attack, the single largest loss of life for U.S. troops since the Afghan war began in late 2001.

The Taliban claimed militants downed the helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade.

The surge in U.S. deaths comes as NATO is drawing down and handing over security control to national forces. Some 10,000 U.S. troops are scheduled to depart by year's end, with all U.S. military personnel out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.