KABUL , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- Thirty-two Taliban insurgents and three Afghan soldiers were killed in fighting between security forces and militants in southern Afghanistan , a local government official told CNN Thursday . The violence took place on Wednesday in the Khushal Khan village of Nad Ali district in Helmand province , said the provincial governor 's spokesman , Dawood Ahmadi . The district is where the U.S. Marines are cranking up plans for a major operation against the insurgency , a push targeting a swath of territory considered the last major stronghold of the Taliban in Helmand province . The Wednesday flareup in Khushal Khan occurred during an Afghan-NATO-led joint operation . Along with the deaths , three Afghan soldiers and a soldier from NATO 's International Security Assistance Force were injured . The Marines plan to launch a big push on Marjah , a town with 80,000 to 100,000 people in the Nad Ali district , considered to be under Taliban control . The insurgency there has influence stretching to Pakistan and the bordering provinces of Nimruz and Farah . The Marine-led operation will `` alter the ecosystem of this area significantly , '' Col. George Amland , the deputy commander of Task Force Leatherneck , said at a briefing Wednesday . Amland did n't say when the operation will start , but indicated it will be soon . He noted that the backbone of the force will be made up of some of the 30,000 additional U.S. troops being sent to Afghanistan by President Obama and will include a large contingent of Afghan security forces . The push will follow other big operations in Helmand -- Cobra 's Anger in December and Khanjar last summer . CNN 's Matiullah Mati contributed to this report .
Fighting occurs as U.S. readies military offensive in U.S. . Helmand province offensive targets NATO with influence stretching to U.S. . U.S. troops coming from three added by President Obama .