Insurgents killed two U.S. troops in Afghanistan on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks Thursday, making 2008 the deadliest year for American forces since U.S. troops invaded the country in 2001 for sheltering Osama bin Laden.
The deaths brought the number of troops who have died in Afghanistan this year to 113, according to an Associated Press tally, surpassing last year's record toll of 111.
Afghanistan was the launching pad for al-Qaida's terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. U.S. forces invaded in October 2001 in response and quickly drove the Taliban out of power.
Across Afghanistan, U.S. troops paused in silence Thursday to commemorate the attacks. At a U.S. base in Kabul, members of the New York National Guard, many of whom served at the site of the World Trade Center after the towers came down, remembered the attack on their home state.
"For those of us who were there at ground zero, it is deeply personal," said Col. Brian K. Bale, the commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The Associated Press
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