The violent deaths of Marine Sergeant Daniel Angus, 28, and Lance Corporal Zachary Smith, 19, on January 24 underscore how quickly things can go from bad to worse in the frontline battle against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

Angus was a Marine squad leader on a patrol in the outskirts of Marjah, a Taliban stronghold in Helmand province in what was to have been a routine show of force ahead of a major push weeks away.

The Marines had previously gone into the area, where they faced potshots from Taliban snipers, but were never under serious threat.

The day, however, would turn into one of the bloodiest suffered by the Marines 1st Battalion, 6th regiment since they deployed in December in the first wave of President Barack Obama's promised surge.

The death toll of foreign soldiers fighting in Afghanistan under US and NATO command hit 44 in January -- the highest for that month since the war began more than eight years ago -- compared with 25 in January 2009.

The number of Americans who died last month in the conflict was almost double the number for January last year, at 29 compared with 15, according to the icasualties.org website, which keeps a running tally.

Three more foreign troops died on Monday, NATO reported.

The United States and NATO deploy 113,000 troops in Afghanistan, with another 40,000 due over the course of the year as part of a renewed strategy that emphasises development and the "reconciliation" of Taliban fighters.

Most of the incoming troops will be deployed in Helmand, which along with neighbouring Kandahar province has been the hub of the insurgency since the Taliban regime was removed from power in late 2001.

On January 24, First Lieutenant Aaron MacLean led his unit on a foot patrol near insurgent bastion Marjah, expected to be the scene of a major offensive this month.

MacLean's unit is among the first Marines outfits sent into Helmand since the surge was announced.

"Suddenly we were taking shots from three sides, they tried to get to our rear but were not successful," he said, describing the fateful day.

About 30-40 Taliban militants, possibly backed by foreign fighters, ambushed them just as they neared a cluster of homes, he said.

"The day that Daniel and Zachary died, the platoon was in an area which is known to harbour a large number of the enemy," MacLean said during an emotional memorial service rarely seen by the public at a forward operating base.

Angus and Smith were tasked to move to another area and provide cover for Marines flat-bellied on the dust.

An expert rifleman, Smith was fending off enemy fire when he stepped on a remote-controlled bomb, known as an IED, or improvised explosive device, which threw him metres (yards) into the air.

"Without regard for his own safety and shouting for other Marines to watch out for a secondary bomb, Angus rushed to Smith's side and ordered his men away knowing full well the risk," he said.

"He died instantly from the blast," he said.

The three-hour firefight, MacLean said, proved the Taliban were adapting to the Marine strategy and were well entrenched in Marjah, a poppy growing region where victory could give Washington its first vindication for the fresh surge.

"That is the nature of the beast," MacLean said. "Marine infantrymen are aggressive by trade and things can go from bad to worse out here."

Angus, 28, left behind a wife and daughter, and Smith his high school sweetheart whom he had just married before deploying.

Both were honoured in an emotional ceremony on January 30 and were posthumously awarded the purple heart for combat heroism.

Their rifles, helmets, boots and dog tags were displayed, as one by one weeping colleagues paid their respects under the searing noonday sun and a 21-gun salute followed as a mournful Christian hymn played over speakers.

Acknowledging the men's ultimate sacrifice, Lieutenant Colonel Calvert Worth told his men to stick to their mission and celebrate the lives of the two young troops, describing Smith as just an "average American kid".

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