101 coalition casualties this month in Afghanistan

The June death toll for NATO-led forces reached 101 on Wednesday, the highest ever in a single month since the war began almost nine years ago. The deadliest month previously had been August, 2009, when 79 soldiers died.

A member of the international coalition fighting in Afghanistan died Wednesday of wounds sustained in an insurgent small arms attack in eastern Afghanistan, the military said. And U.S. Sgt. John M. Rogers, 26, of Scottsdale, Arizona, died Sunday of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

The number of U.S. and coalition casualties in June has now climbed to 101, a CNN count shows.

Last week, June became the deadliest month of the nine-year Afghan war for coalition troops when the death toll hit 80.

The grim milestone comes amid tumult among the war's leadership, with top military commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal exiting over disparaging comments he made about civilian officials in a magazine interview. He will be replaced by Gen. David Petraeus, now head of U.S. Central Command and the architect of the surge strategy in the Iraq war.

MORE: Home and Away: Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq – explore the faces of the fallen and send your tributes

Photo at top: At a patrol base in Helmand province, British soldiers created a makeshift memorial to fellow troops killed in action on previous tours of Afghanistan.