Afghan children are seen next to a soldier from the 5th Striker Brigades, as he stands guard on a road in a village on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan,Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. Thousands of U.S. troops are deploying in southern Afghanistan as part of an effort to prevent the Taliban from disrupting the country's Aug. 20 presidential ballot.  (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Photo: EMILIO MORENATTI, AP
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