August Deadliest Month for U.S. in Afghanistan

Sixty-six U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan so far this month, making August the deadliest month for American forces in the nearly decade-long war.

Nearly half the troops killed so far this month died on August 6th, when the Taliban shot down a Chinook helicopter in eastern Afghanistan.

That was the single deadliest event of the war and sent the monthly total soaring, according to a tally by The Associated Press.

The deadliest month for American forces until now was July 2010 when 65 were killed.

President Obama announced last month that he would begin pulling out the 33,000 extra troops he dispatched to the war.

He ordered 10,000 out this year and another 23,000 withdrawn by the summer of 2012.