US deaths trending upward in Afghan war

Two US soldiers were killed in a firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan Wednesday. This brings US deaths there to 9 in the first 6 months of 2019, on track for 18 US deaths. That would continue the upward trend of 11 in 2017 and 13 in 2018. The increase is attributable to US ratcheting up military ops in 2017 ahead of negotiations with the Taliban for a complete US withdrawal. But after 18 years of senseless war, what's the hurry? It sure is to the remaining 9,000 soldiers wondering which of them will be the last of the 2,382 (and counting) that have needlessly died there since 2001. US negotiators talk...and US soldiers die.