Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/in-afghanistan-troop-deaths-highlight-instability Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript On Sunday, Taliban militants waged the deadliest assault on U.S. and NATO troops in three years, highlighting the challenge of the ongoing armed conflict. A New York Times Magazine reporter and a counter-insurgency expert measure the complexity of the conflict. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. MARGARET WARNER: The attack that cost the lives of nine American soldiers took place at a U.S. military outpost in the northeast Afghan province of Kunar, near the Pakistan border.It's the latest in a series of violent insurgent attacks, including a bombing outside the Indian embassy in Kabul and that killed 55 Afghanis. Insurgent attacks are up 40 percent in eastern Afghanistan alone.The deteriorating situation in Afghanistan has led to calls for more U.S. troops there. Pentagon commanders say they want to send more forces, but they would have to come from Iraq.Today, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said the U.S. should send in another 7,000 U.S. troops to the 33,000 already there. Senator John McCain is supposed to give a speech on Afghanistan later this week.For more on the situation, we go to Elizabeth Rubin, a contributing writer for the New York Times magazine, who spent time with U.S. troops in Kunar province late last year.And Seth Jones, a specialist in counterinsurgency with the RAND Corporation, he's traveled frequently to Afghanistan, including recently to Kunar province, as well.Welcome to you both.Elizabeth Rubin, tell us, first of all, about what this province is like. ELIZABETH RUBIN, New York Times Magazine: Kunar province is in the northeastern part of Afghanistan near the Pakistani border. And it's always been used by insurgents, before that by the Mujahedeen during the time of the Russian war, as a transport route.And so it's a key area where the Taliban enter the north of Afghanistan. That particular area is close to tribal areas in Pakistan. And so a lot of the attacks that are coming into Kunar are coming right over from the Pakistani border. MARGARET WARNER: And what does the U.S. military operation there consist of? I understand the unit you were with is, in fact, part of the same brigade as that of the soldiers that were killed yesterday. ELIZABETH RUBIN: I think so. There's sort of a blackout right now on who exactly was hit, but presumably it is the same brigade. And they operate in small forward-operating bases out in the villages.You know, sometimes there's 20 to 30 guys living in a barn or living in tents and bunkers. And they try to interact a lot with the villagers, who are caught between the Americans and the insurgents. So it's a very, very difficult fight out there. MARGARET WARNER: And are these bases or outposts well-protected? ELIZABETH RUBIN: Mildly, but not really. Sometimes there's just, you know, concertina wire around it and soldiers who are guards. Because they are trying to be out there in the field and it's mountainous terrain, it's not easy to set up a big base like you would have in Iraq, for example.