More than 8,000 British soldiers and 4,000 US marines have been battling the Taliban in Helmand, where the insurgents have been most active, since the beginning of July.

Together with Afghan forces, those soldiers recaptured the Nawzad district Sunday, the Afghan defence ministry said in a statement. The joint forces had recaptured another district late last month while the militants still hold sway in at least three other districts in Helmand.

The aim of the new operation in the province was to flush out the militants to provide a safer environment for the local populous to vote in Thursday's presidential election.

More than 100,000 international troops and around 200,000 Afghan security forces are to provide security at polling stations throughout the country.