1,200 people have been killed in Afghanistan in the last six months in the leadup to the Sunday parliamentary election.

7 more were shot today by forces opposed to the election. The men were believed to have been executed because they had voter cards.

2800 hundred candidates are running for parliament and about 3 thousand are looking for seats on the 34 provincial assemblies.

Bombings and landmine explosions in May were up 40 per cent from the same month the previous year in the south and southeast, Annan said.

And 2005 has undoubtedly been the most deadly year for the US military since it ousted the Taleban.

“There is certainly more violence, and there are violent elements trying to come back,” said Ronald Neumann, the new US ambassador to Kabul speaking at his maiden press conference on August 18.

“I think this is a situation that will probably be difficult for some time. But there is a strong international presence and there is a strong American presence, which is quite adequate to deal with the violence.”

According to an unofficial fatality list posted for Washington’s Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF, 76 American troops were killed in operations linked to Afghanistan during the first eight months of this year. This compared with 52 for all of last year, 47 for 2003 and 43 for 2002. The dead are all named, with age and rank.

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