"It has been a tough month in Afghanistan, but it's also been a tough month for the Taliban," he said, after the coalition in June suffered its deadliest month since the 2001 ouster of the Islamist militia.

Forty-nine soldiers from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the separate US-led coalition died in combat, attacks or accidents in June, according to an AFP tally based on military statements.

June accounted for more than 40 percent of the 122 deaths of foreign soldiers in Afghanistan during 2008, according to the independent website Icasualties.org.

Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, confessed meanwhile to being "deeply troubled" by recent military challenges in Afghanistan, as Taliban troops ramp up their attacks on Western targets.

"I am and have been for some time now, deeply troubled by the increasing violence there," Mullen said.

"The Taliban and their supporters have, without question, grown more effective and more aggressive in recent weeks, and as the casualty figures clearly demonstrate," he said.

Bush nevertheless remained upbeat.

"I'm confident that the strategy is going to work," Bush said, sidestepping a question on whether he would send more US troops to Afghanistan by saying that he is constantly reviewing the needs on the ground.

"One reason why there have been more deaths is because our troops are taking the fight to a tough enemy" deeply at odds with the United States, he said. "Of course there's going to be resistance."

"We're constantly reviewing troop needs, troop levels. We're halfway through 2008. As I said, we're going to increase troops by 2009," said the US leader.

"We're constantly reassessing and seeing whether or not, you know, we can change tactics in order to achieve our objective," he said.

Violence has increased in southern and eastern Afghanistan which has borne the brunt of the Taliban-led insurgency since the hardline regime was toppled in a US-led invasion in late 2001.

Mullen said he hoped to be able to deploy more troops to Afghanistan "just as soon as I can," but said "those forces will not be available unless or until the situation in Iraq permits us to do so."

He added: "I'm hopeful toward the end of the year, opportunities like that would be created."

Official figures showed that US and coalition casualty levels in Afghanistan exceeded those in Iraq for the second month in a row.

Most of the 49 were killed by roadside bombs hitting their convoys or patrols.

By contrast, 31 soldiers including 29 Americans were killed in Iraq in June despite the fact that there are more than twice as many troops there as in Afghanistan, Icasualties figures showed.

International casualties in Afghanistan also outstripped those in Iraq in May, 23 compared to 21.

Meanwhile, insurgent forces managed to shoot down with small arms fire a helicopter from the US-led coalition in Afghanistan near Kabul, but US officials said there were no deaths or serious injuries.

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