Iraq still remains the deadliest combat zone for Washington-based service members, though the number of fatalities has dropped since their apex in 2006. One likely reason for this is that the majority of deployed soldiers from Fort Lewis have served in Iraq. This year, though, was the deadliest in Afghanistan for Washington troops, defined as a service member who is stationed at a military installation in the state or lists Washington as his or her home state.

Here is a breakdown of Washington service member deaths, both combat- and non-combat-related, in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001:

Check out our full database with names, dates, causes of death and more here.

Michael Haines admits he's a bit of an idealist – probably the best philosophy to espouse when working in a country that has been wrecked by decades of civil war and ethnic conflict.

Next week, the 40-year-old Gig Harbor native will arrive in Afghanistan to become the deputy country director for the Asia Foundation, a non-governmental organization.

He will help oversee a staff of about 250 and a budget that routinely handles $25 million in projects at a time.

Projects include anything from running a preparatory course for girls before they take a college entrance exam to production of radio programs that teach about the country's government and possibilities for citizen involvement.

Development work is a second career for Haines. He left his private-sector job in 2003 and joined the Peace Corps, working business and economic development in Ukraine.

“That's when I learned that working in these communities instead of just passing through is much more valuable,” he said.

He has since worked in Iraq for the International Republican Institute and in Azerbaijan for the Eurasia Foundation.

Haines is visiting family in Pierce County this week before flying to Afghanistan, and he sat down with The News Tribune on Tuesday to discuss his next assignment.

Q: What is the main focus of the Asia Foundation’s work in Afghanistan?
A: Most often it’s developing institutions and capacities for citizens to be engaged, promoting economic prosperity and social justice. We’ll be working with women’s groups in civil society or government to help develop their capacity and skills for potential career advancement. I know there’s a perception that women aren’t engaged in Muslim countries – and that’s certainly true in many countries – but in others, they’re an integral part of civil society.
We also work with youth, who, like women, are also marginalized. We help them get involved in the process, at the school level, municipal level. We’re dealing with countries that have no concept of civil society, and we’re helping to bridge that gap. No functioning democracy works without a civil society.

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About 30 Washington National Guardsmen leave for training next week and will begin a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan this spring.

And it sounds like the detachment from the 741st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion can’t get there soon enough, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Roadside bombs have become the largest threat to combat troops in Afghanistan, the newspaper reported. The number of incidents and casualties involving the bombs is up 33 percent from a year earlier. They're the largest single cause of American and NATO troop death and injuries.

Among the job EOD units have is blowing up the bombs discovered during route-clearance missions.

More from the story:

U.S. and NATO officials say that roadside-bomb technology has migrated from Iraq to Afghanistan, with militants here regularly using tactics -- such as "daisy-chaining" multiple bombs together to pierce U.S. armor -- first developed by fighters in Iraq. Militants detonated nearly 500 roadside bombs in Afghanistan in July and August alone, according to the statistics. Taliban fighters and other extremists have easy access to the large amounts of explosives that have been scattered across Afghanistan since the Soviet invasion and the subsequent Afghan civil war, according to U.S. Col. Jeffrey Jarkowsky, who heads the military task force charged with combating roadside bombs.

The increase in roadside bombs is forcing U.S. commanders here to rely more heavily on MRAPs, which can't reach many remote villages because it is difficult for them to traverse Afghanistan's narrow roads and harsh terrain.

(U.S. Army photo)