Guerrillas from the ousted Taliban regime killed at least 12 soldiers in Afghanistan's south on Thursday in a sharp escalation of violence ahead of next month's landmark presidential election. At least seven more soldiers were killed in other clashes in the southern province of Zabul on Tuesday and Wednesday, provincial officials said. They said some Taliban members were also killed, but no details were available. Kheyal Mohammad Husseini, the Zabul governor, said the latest fighting erupted when guerrillas attacked a government post in Sori district of the restive province and killed 12 soldiers. The governor did not have further details of the fighting in Zabul, scene of repeated attacks by the Taliban over the past three days. On Wednesday, guerrillas attacked a joint convoy of U.S. and Afghan forces. The Taliban said several U.S. soldiers were killed, but there has been no independent verification. Zabul is near the border with Pakistan and is part of the main bastion of the Taliban. The guerrillas have vowed to derail the Oct. 9 election, in which 17 candidates are standing against incumbent President Hamid Karzai. In Germany, government sources said Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's planned trip to Afghanistan on Oct. 11 would be cancelled if the security situation worsened.
