The death two weeks ago of a popular officer killed while defending a military post in Malam Fatori, a town in Borno that has changed hands repeatedly, prompted widespread grief in Nigeria and focused attention on the continuing casualties.
Mr. Bush's political aides say that while the issue of potentially tailored intelligence has not gone away, they are more worried about the possible political impact of continuing casualties in occupied Iraq.
President Bush, speaking at length for the first time about the continuing casualties among American troops in Iraq, said today that remnants of the ousted government were trying to "kill and intimidate" American soldiers there.
In a confidential memorandum, subsequently published by WikiLeaks, he noted: "Danish public support regarding NATO's engagement in Afghanistan, however, is slipping, jarred by continuing casualties and the perception that other Allies are unwilling to share the risks and dangers of fighting in Afghanistan's restive south".
As soon as possible, however, we scaled down and sent staff to rest, dividing teams into shifts while remaining ready for follow-up attacks or continuing casualties.
"Search and rescue continues and casualties cannot be immediately confirmed," he wrote.
If the surge continues, the casualty count would be one of the highest in a decade.
The lack of such evidence and continuing American casualties emboldened critics of the administration, who questioned the prewar intelligence gathered to support the invasion.
The Russian authorities have repeatedly claimed to have broken the back of the rebel resistance only to see the fighting continue and casualties climb.
"I do feel that it is difficult," Taku Yamasaki, secretary general of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, told Fuji Television when asked about the continuing American casualties.
