A wave of attacks in Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of 7 U.S. troops and an Afghan politician over the weekend.

Authorities revealed on Sunday that the seven U.S. troops were killed in separate incidents. Three of the service members who were killed were casualties from two separate battles in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, according to a statement from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). An improvised bomb attack in southern Afghanistan, on the other hand, claimed the lives of two U.S. troops, while another two soldiers were killed in separate attacks, also in the south, on Sunday.

Local politician Abdul Manan, a candidate for parliament during a nationwide election scheduled for September 18, was killed in an attack in the western province of Herat on Saturday. Afghan officials believe that the killing was the handiwork of the Taliban, who are also said to be responsible for the deaths of two other candidates for parliament since the beginning of the campaign period last July.

Meanwhile, eight civilians as well as fifteen militants were also killed in separate incidents on Saturday. One of these incidents was a suicide bomb attack, and all the incidents were blamed on insurgents with ties to the Taliban.

These deaths add to the increasing list of casualties in the Afghan war, since a U.S.-led invasion removed militants from power in 2001. Independent website www.icasualties.org report that the number of foreign troops killed in the Afghan war so far this year is 472.