Figures way off - 55 is just for OCTOBER!
In Sept alone: "Nine coalition forces were killed and 37 were wounded by IEDs in Afghanistan in September 2007. In September 2009, 37 coalition forces were killed and 285 were wounded by IEDs, according to the figures."
and in October -
' "The casualties bring to 55 the total number of Americans killed in October in Afghanistan. The next highest toll was in August, when 51 U.S. soldiers died and the troubled nation held the first round of its presidential election amid a wave of violence."
http://www.ohio.com/news/world/66791212.html
26 August
The NATO-led force in Afghanistan says attacks have killed two U.S. troops, keeping August on track to be the deadliest month of the war for the U.S. military.
"The two deaths bring to 43 the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan this month. July was the deadliest month of the nearly eight-year war - 44 U.S. troops died. But with five days left in August, this month could again set a new record.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/26/world/main5267197.shtml
You’re right. This looks like an editing error; when I wrote the piece in its original version, I wrote 55 for October alone and noted that the month wasn’t finished. I’ll try to find out what happened, thanks for pointing this out.