US death toll reaches 1,000 in Afghanistan war

THE American military death toll in Afghanistan reached 1,000 at a time when US President Barack Obama’s strategy to turn back the Taliban is facing its greatest test — an ambitious campaign to win over a disgruntled population in the insurgents’ southern heartland.

More casualties are expected when the campaign kicks into high gear this summer.

The results may determine the outcome of a nearly nine-year conflict that became “Obama’s war” after he decided to shift the fight againstIslamist militancy from Iraq to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where Afghan insurgents find sanctuary.