Suicide bomber kills 14 as Afghanistan continues to deteriorate

A suicide bomber wearing a police uniform attacked a NATO unit on foot patrol Monday killing 14 people in the latest deadly assault on the beleaguered coalition. An interpreter and six other civilians were killed in the blast along with NATO soldiers and local police, and nearly 60 others were wounded when a bomber on a motor cycle struck a crowded market area in the city of Khost.

On Sunday, the number of American deaths since the start of the war 11 years ago, reached 2,000 after two U.S. soldiers were killed in a fight with Afghan army troops. Recent reports have shown no decrease in the number of insurgent attacks, even after the "surge" of U.S. troops three years ago and the increase in "friendly" attacks by Afghan soldiers and police (or those pretending to be them) have made it nearly  impossible for Western troops to operate safely alongside local allies. The U.S. is planning an exit from the country for 2014, but with the country showing no signs of an improvement in the level of violence, it's going to be a long, hard road out.