Seven Troops Killed in Weekend Attacks

A bloody weekend in Afghanistan's southern and eastern provinces took the lives of seven U.S. troops, three of whom died in bomb attacks and three of whom were killed during fighting. These latest casualties bring the American troop death toll for the month of August to 42. On Sunday, officials discovered the bodies of five campaign aides working for a female candidate who had been kidnapped earlier in the week. No one has come forward to take responsibility for the murders of the aides, but the killings are consistent with a Taliban murder campaign against political candidates and election workers.