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As the date for the landmark Afghan parliamentary elections is drawing closer, the US military expects more Taliban attacks to derail the process, a senior US commander said Monday.
"The enemy knows what is at stake in the upcoming parliamentary elections and we anticipate that he will continue to challenge us. We know we will have a tough fight up to and through the elections," US commander in east and south Afghanistan General Jason Kamiya said.
He made this comment amid increasing security incidents and Taliban attacks on Afghan and US-led coalition troops in the volatile south, east and southeastern region over the past two months.
Remnants of Taliban movement, whose regime was toppled by US military in late 2001, have threatened to disrupt the first post-Taliban parliamentary polls slated for Sept. 18.
The general was confident in eliminating Taliban militants in the region and said the enemy's ability is waning by each passing day as they are losing their popularity among the locals.
The enemy's situation in Zabul and Kandahar is similar to Uruzgan, where 11 Taliban remnants were killed and 15 others detained last week. The enemy operates in small groups and they are frustrated by repeated unsuccessful attacks against Afghan coalition forces, he asserted.
He put the number of Taliban's casualties over 400 in his area of command this year but declined to disclose his soldiers' suffering.
"Over 400 enemies have been killed or captured in regional command south this year," stressed the US general.
Both the US-dominated coalition and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have already begun boosting their troops to ensure security for the coming Afghan parliamentary elections.
"Afghan and coalition forces will continue to move against the enemy in flexible operation oriented on where the enemy operates," he noted.
(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2005)
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