Two fatal helicopter crashes in Afghanistan and large-scale bombings in Iraq have thrown into stark relief the risks for President Barack Obama in fulfilling his campaign pledge of shifting Washington’s resources from one conflict to the other.

A boy sits among Afghan elders during a meeting to discuss military action in their area

In the worst day for US casualties in Afghanistan for several years, 11 US ­soldiers and three Drug Enforcement Administration officials died in the two helicopter failures on Monday, one of which involved a mid-air collision and the other a crash following a firefight with insurgents.