Afghan officials say they have found the bodies of five kidnapped campaign workers for a female parliamentary candidate.
Authorities say the bodies were found Sunday in the western province of Herat.
The workers for Fawzya Galani were kidnapped by armed men Wednesday, although no one has claimed responsibility. Galani is one of the few female candidates in Afghanistan's September 18 parliamentary election.
Security is a top concern. Afghan election officials have said that more than 900 polling stations will not open because voter safety cannot be ensured.
Meanwhile, the NATO-led military force in Afghanistan says seven U.S. soldiers have died in several attacks over the past two days. Few details are available.
On Sunday, NATO said Afghan and coalition forces had captured a Haqqani Network insurgency commander and two militants who had been involved in attacks Saturday on two U.S.-run bases in eastern Afghanistan.
A NATO spokesman says the insurgents Saturday opened fire with machine guns and rockets on Forward Operating Base Salerno and nearby Camp Chapman in Khost province. Some of the attackers were wearing American military uniforms.
Elsewhere Saturday, NATO said Afghan and coalition forces in Paktiya province killed seven insurgents including a Taliban commander who had coordinated the movement of explosives and fighters.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
