1 NATO soldier, 3 Taliban insurgents killed in S. Afghanistan
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A soldier with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed Thursday, while three Taliban insurgents were killed in a multi-day Afghan and ISAF joint operation in Taliban birthplace Kandahar province, the military alliance said in press releases issued in Kabul Friday.
"An International Security Assistance Force servicemember died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan today," the press release said.
However, it did not disclose the nationality of victim, saying "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities."
The fatality occurred one day before the war-weary Afghans are due to go for country's second direct parliamentary polls scheduled for Saturday.
ISAF in a separate press release confirmed that a joint Afghan and coalition security force conducted a multi-day clearing operation outside Kandahar city, capital of Kandahar province, killing three Taliban insurgents.
Without mentioning the exact date, the press release said several more insurgents had been detained by combined forces. "One of the insurgents captured was a Taliban weapons and improvised explosive device (IED) facilitator who acquires and distributes mines, weapons and IEDs components to Taliban commanders operating in Kandahar city," it asserted.
Security has already tightened across the militancy-hit country with deployment of more than 52,000 Afghan National Police and 63, 000 Afghan National Army troopers to ensure security of nearly 5, 800 polling stations in all 34 provinces.
Thousands of more Afghan security forces are on high alert to tackle any security threats in big cities and towns.
Over 2,500 candidates with some 400 of them women had registered their names to secure 249 seats in Afghan Wolesi Jirga or Lower House of parliament.
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