The death of a US soldier in the western province of Farah brought the death toll for the year to date to 320, compared with 520 in all of 2009. AFP's figures are based on a tally kept by the independent icasualties.org website.

A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said 81 international troops had been killed in combat so far in June. He said 12 troops had died of non-combat related causes. The remainder, who are not counted by ISAF, died of injuries after returning home for treatment.

No NATO troops deaths were reported in Afghanistan on Monday, the spokesman said, adding: "A rare good day for us this month." The previous highest monthly toll was 77, last August. NATO says the dramatic upswing in casualty numbers in June has been caused by the alliance stepping up military operations and taking the fight to the Taliban in areas where they have previously been unchallenged.

The United States and NATO have 140,000 troops in Afghanistan, set to peak at 150,000 by August in an effort to gain the upper hand over the Islamist Taliban.

Serious problems
The sacking last week of US General Stanley McChrystal for insubordination has heightened concerns about the progress being made in bringing the insurgency under control. It also pointed to serious differences of opinion between the US civilian and military leadership on how to conduct the war.

In an article published in Rolling Stone magazine, the general said he felt "betrayed" by the US ambassador to Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, in last year's White House debate on strategy. One of General McChrystal's aides called national security advisor Jim Jones "a clown" who was "stuck in 1985".

The article raised questions about whether General McChrystal's counter-insurgency strategy was working and whether it was fully supported by the president. And just days before he was fired, McChrystal reportedly gave a highly critical assessment of the war in a briefing note to allies that warned them to expect little progress in the next six months.

The head of the CIA, Leon Panetta, has acknowledged "serious problems" with the Afghan war. He said: "We're dealing with a country that has problems with governance, problems with corruption, problems with narcotics trafficking, problems with a Taliban insurgency." He added, "We are making progress. But it's harder and slower than anyone anticipated."

However, he insisted that Obama's surge strategy was the right one. According to the CIA chief, the success or failure of NATO's mission depends on whether the Afghan government, police and military will be able to step up alongside NATO to help bring security and stability.

Worse than Somalia
Good governance watchdog Transparency International ranks Afghanistan as the world's most corrupt nation -- worse even than Somalia. Rampant corruption and the alleged involvement of top officials in the opium trade has fuelled anti-government sentiment and boosted support for the Taliban.

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that more than three billion dollars' worth of cash has been flown out of Kabul in the past few years. The cash - more than the Afghan government collects in taxes and customs revenue in an entire year - was apparently being sent abroad to be laundered. Surprisingly, the shipments are all legally declared and flown out from Kabul International Airport. Investigators believe at least some of the cash comes from Western-funded aid projects as well as reconstruction work and security contracts.

Not one more dime
When she learned about the cash shipments, a senior US lawmaker angrily blocked billions of dollars for Afghanistan, vowing not to extend aid until President Hamid Karzai fulfils pledges to act against corruption. Representative Nita Lowey, who sits on the powerful House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations said:
"I do not intend to appropriate one more dime for assistance to Afghanistan until I have confidence that US taxpayer money is not being abused to line the pockets of corrupt Afghan government officials, drug lords and terrorists."

President Barack Obama's administration has requested 3.9 billion dollars in aid for Afghanistan in the 2011 fiscal year starting in October. Representative Lowey's decision would not affect military appropriations which are the remit of a separate subcommittee. It is not clear how the representative's move will affect the administration's ability to pursue its current strategy which places great emphasis on reconstruction as a way of winning hearts and mind.