KABUL: More foreign troops in Afghanistan were killed in April and May this year, the early stages of the fighting season, than in the same months of any year of the decade-long conflict, figures showed.

The death toll for international forces in April and May was 110 – 51 in April and 59 in May – according to figures from the independent iCasualties. org website.

The overall figure was up from 85 in the same period last year and represents the highest death toll for April and May since the start of the war in late 2001.

April and May represent the early stages of the Taliban-led insurgency’s spring offensive in Afghanistan.

Since they announced the start of the offensive in late April this year, the Taliban and other rebels have launched a string of high-profile attacks including Saturday’s killing of the police commander for northern Afghanistan and two German troops.

The number of casualties in fighting usually peaks from June to September. A total of 711 troops from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed last year.

An ISAF spokesman could not immediately comment on the figures.