Afghanistan’s top security officials say 26 civilians and security forces have died in election-day militant attacks.

President Hamid Karzai says the new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan increases the chance that his government and its international partners will successfully address the rising militant threat in the country. He said in a statement that the strategy President Barack Obama unveiled Friday will benefit both the Afghan people and the region.

A government official and a witness say missiles believed fired from a U.S. unmanned plane have killed seven people in northwestern Pakistan. The identities of those killed in the late Thursday strike in Kurram region were not immediately known.