Good Morning America: 5 US troops killed in Afghanistan

Three die in roadside bombing in deadliest year for international forces since invasion



General Stanley McChrystal has urged Barack Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan. Photograph: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images

Five US troops have been killed in attacks in southern Afghanistan, the military said today.

Three troops died in a roadside bombing, one was shot by insurgents and another died in an attack while on patrol. All five died yesterday.

Roadside bombs now account for most US and Nato casualties in what has been the deadliest year for international forces since the 2003 US-led invasion. They have been especially deadly in the south, which is largely controlled by the Taliban. In July, the number of incidents involving improvised explosive devices was 828, the highest level of the war and more than twice as many as in July 2008.

Barack Obama has been urged to send more troops to Afghanistan by the Nato commander in the country, General Stanley McChrystal, but he has held back from committing more troops as political support for the war weakens. Concern that the war may be unwinnable is growing as US casualties rise sharply. A recent Washington Post poll showed that 51% of Americans thought the war "not worth fighting".