Deadly year in Afghanistan: 110 U.S. soldiers killed

In February a suicide bomber killed 23 people outside the main U.S. base at Bagram during a visit by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. A suicide bomber in June killed 35 people on a police bus. And in November a suicide bombing that killed six lawmakers also left a total of 77 people dead after security guards opened fire on a crowd of onlookers. Sixty-one school children were killed.

The fight against poppies failed. Afghanistan this year produced 93 percent of the world's opium, the main ingredient in heroin.

U.S. officials point to progress
Despite those developments, Mark Stroh, the spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, called 2007 a good year, saying the country made progress in security, governance and development.

"Last year at this time there was grave concern that the Taliban were going to overrun large parts of the country. That clearly has not been the case," Stroh said.

U.S. military operations killed or detained more than 50 "significant" militant leaders, said Lt. Col. David Accetta, a military spokesman. The eastern region of the country where U.S. forces primarily operate now has 85 government centers, with 53 more under construction, he said. There were no government centers during the Taliban rule.

"It's a clear example of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan expanding its reach to the people," he said.

Jones, the analyst, said the recent violence in Pakistan — where Taliban and al-Qaida fighters have sanctuary near the Afghan border — shows the long-term trouble the U.S. and NATO could face.

"I think the developments there have been deeply troubling," he said. "What you see is al-Qaida, Taliban and other militants have really become a regional problem. ... If in 2008 the U.S., NATO in general, is unable to make any notable differences in the (Pakistani) tribal areas, the situation in Afghanistan will not get better."

Jones also said that NATO does not have enough troops to clear and hold areas in the south like Helmand and Kandahar.

Afghan army takes more active role
The Afghan army, though, has begun to plan, lead and execute operations. Still, the 16 police killed in the ambush in Helmand's Maywand district is a telling bookend to a violent year. The Interior Ministry says more than 850 police were killed since March 21, the beginning of the Islamic calendar, and an AP count found 74 others killed the previous months.

"The police all the time are face to face with the enemy. They are doing difficult jobs in difficult areas," said Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary.

U.S. soldiers and trainers in the coming year will put Afghan police through an intensive eight-week course called Focus District Development, that aims to give police individualized attention, said Johnson. Afterward U.S. trainers will spend two months shadowing the police.

Afghan police, historically low-paid and undertrained, are seen as a major weak link in Afghanistan's development.

"We believe that Focus District Development is the way forward," said Johnson. "It's going to take a full court press to train a quality national police and army."

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