The coalition offered two possible reasons for the uptick. A shortened poppy harvesting season prompted insurgents to start their spring offensive earlier this year. Also, with more Afghan security forces on the ground and taking the lead in more operations, more of them are getting killed. There also has been more precise reporting of attacks against Afghan soldiers and police, which could also lead to the higher numbers, the coalition said.

In related statistics, 206 Afghan soldiers were killed from March 20 until June 20, according to the Afghan National Army. March 20 is the first day of the Afghan calendar. No comparable numbers could be obtained for 2011, and no current casualty figures from the Afghan National Police were immediately available.

Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has confirmed that Afghan police and army casualties were on the rise.