The number of foreign troops to die this year in Afghanistan has reached 600, by far the highest annual toll in nine years of war despite tentative reconciliation efforts with the Taliban.
The milestone was reached after a NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) announcement that a soldier had been killed in an insurgent attack in the east on Sunday.
A few months ago, I had the joy of performing with the world's first Audience Symphony Orchestra in San Francisco, a gathering of fans from all over North Am...