Dubbed "Lightning Resolve," the operation comes just days after the government set an October 9 date for presidential elections but delayed parliamentary election until 2005 because of the security situation outside Kabul.

"The purpose of this particular operation is to ensure the security of the election processes, set conditions for continued voter registration and election and provide a stable and secure environment for continued reconstruction efforts," a defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Few details were available here on where and how the military will carry out the operation, the latest in a series by US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan.

So far 6.5 million of Afghanistan's estimated 10.5 million eligible voters have registered to vote but in 19 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces less than 50 percent of population have so far put their names on electoral lists.

The US force in Afghanistan numbers around 20,000 troops.

NATO has agreed to expand an international peacekeeping force beyond Kabul to several other towns in northern and western Afghanistan but France raised objections to a US bid to deploy NATO's rapid response force for the elections.

WAR.WIRE