2008 marks deadliest year for U.S. troops in Afghanistan

(CNN) -- More U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan this year than in any year since the U.S. invaded the country following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

According to numbers CNN has compiled from military statements, 112 American troops have died in Afghanistan in 2008, compared with 111 in all of 2007.

The death toll has sparked concern among the U.S. military and its allies.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a congressional committee Wednesday that the U.S. is "running out of time" to win the war in Afghanistan.

Mullen said the U.S. needs better nation-building initiatives and a stronger cross-border strategy with Pakistan to ensure victory over Islamic militants in the poor Asian country.

"We can't kill our way to victory, and no armed force anywhere, no matter how good, can deliver these keys alone. It requires teamwork and cooperation," Mullen told the House Armed Services Committee.
Don't Miss

* Report: Bush OK'd Pakistan raids
* PM: Canadian troops out of Afghanistan by 2011
* Admiral: Troops alone will not yield victory
* NATO strike kills 2 Afghan civilians

In addition to those killed in Afghanistan, the military also includes troops who died outside the country if they were part of Operation Enduring Freedom, the war launched nearly seven years ago in and around Afghanistan.

The broader count includes two Americans who died in Djibouti in 2008. The 2007 count includes two Americans who died in Ethiopia, two in the Philippines, one in Mali, one in Pakistan and one at sea near the Horn of Africa.

According to CNN numbers, 585 Americans have died in the course of Operation Enduring Freedom, 506 of them in Afghanistan. The numbers include hostile and nonhostile incidents.

Both the U.S.-led coalition and the NATO command announced three more deaths Thursday -- a British soldier in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday and two others in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday. The nationalities of the latter two have not been disclosed.

The British death brings the country's toll to 118. Other countries, including Canada, Germany, France and Spain, also have lost troops in Afghanistan.