U.S. and Afghan government forces killed 12 insurgents and captured nine in a operation in the south aimed at stopping militants from disrupting the Sept. 18 general election, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.
The election is the final part of a plan to restore democratic government but mounting Taliban violence, especially in the south and east, is a major worry.
U.S. and Afghan troops came under small-arms fire in an area of Zabul province on Monday, the U.S. military said in a statement.
“The forces were conducting operational patrols to engage the enemy in their staging areas before they execute operations designed to influence or disrupt the election process,” it said.
U.S. aircraft were brought in to support the troops on the ground. No Afghan or U.S. troops were hurt, the U.S. military said.
The United States has 20,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of whom are focusing on election security, as are 10,000 NATO-led peacekeepers and tens of thousands of government forces.
More than 1,000 people, most of them insurgents but including 49 American soldiers, have been killed this year, the bloodiest period since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001.
Afghan and U.S. forces launched a sweep for Taliban insurgents in Kandahar province, just to the south of Zabul, on Sunday. Thirteen insurgents were killed and 44 suspected militants captured, Afghan officials said.
