Troop Death Ratio On The Rise In Afghanistan: More Troops, More Fatalities

The six U.S. troops who died in Afghanistan in recent days brings the death toll for July to at least 66, marking a grim milestone -- the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the nine-year-old war.

The total surpasses the previous record, which was set last month when 60 U.S. forces died in the war-torn country.

The death toll also marks an alarming increase in the troop death ratio for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, which Huffington Post has been tracking since last year. The troop death ratio (which is calculated by dividing the number of fatalities by the boots-on-the-ground troop level each month) hit its peak in October 2009, when 59 troops died out of 67,250 troops. Though July's total surpasses that amount, there are currently 41% more U.S. troops in the country (95,000).

The troop death ratio dropped off from November 2009 to April 2010 but has increased sharply in the last three months as the insurgency gets more aggressive in Afghanistan.

See our chart tracking troop death ratio from July 2009 to July 2010 (so far):