President Bush says it has been a "tough month" in Afghanistan with rising US casualties. The president told a Rose Garden news conference today that one reason for the rising deaths "is that our troops are taking the fight to a tough enemy." Bush said it has also been a "tough month for the Taliban." He said he is assessing whether to send more U.S. troops there. In June, militants killed more U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan than in Iraq for the second straight month. In fact it was the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began.

---