After the weekend's deadly suicide bombing which killed 7 American troops in Kandahar, 20 soldiers have died so far in the month of December, already surpassing last year's record of 18 in the same month.  This makes for the 11th monthly casualty record for US troops in 2010.  In addition, a Pentagon report stated that U.S. forces have faced approximately 18,000 small-arms attacks from Taliban fighters in 2010, nearly double the rate of 2009.

Despite the significant increase in U.S. casualties and Taliban-related attacks, U.S. military officials continue to claim that the war strategy is making progress.  A sizeable majority of Republicans support current war efforts, while a majority of Independents and Democrats remain skeptical.