NATO warns villagers ahead of Taliban showdown

Aircraft flown by NATO dropped hundreds of leaflets Monday night on several villages near Kandahar that have been seized by the Taliban, officials said, while thousands of extra Afghan troops headed to the region.

The militants, in apparent preparation for an impending military operation, planted mines and destroyed bridges -- and forced villagers to stay and fight alongside them, a tribal elder said.

The planned operation would target villages in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province. It is the same province where 400 Taliban militants escaped from prison in a mass jailbreak Friday.

"ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces) supported by ISAF are coming to remove the enemies of Afghanistan," the leaflets read. "Keep your family safe when there is fighting near your home. Stay inside while ANSF defeats the enemies of Afghanistan."