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| Afghanistan |
| Taliban attack Afghan poll convoy, soldiers killed |
| 2009-08-01 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] A convoy carrying ballot papers and other material for next month's presidential election was ambushed by Taliban insurgents in west Afghanistan on Friday, officials said, with four soldiers killed. Insurgents opened fire on the convoy after it was hit by a roadside bomb, said Rohul Amin, governor of western Farah province. The ambush was the latest in a spate of election-related attacks. "No ballot papers or other voting documents were destroyed," Amin told Reuters. He said the attack took place in an area of desert near the Iranian border. The soldiers were killed when the bomb struck their vehicle, Amin said. Three others were injured. Abdul Wali Hameedi, head of the Independent Election Commission in Farah, said he was not sure if any ballot papers for the Aug. 20 elections were missing. At least three election candidates, including President Hamid Karzai's vice-presidential running mate Mohammad Qasim Fahim, have been ambushed in the past week although all escaped unhurt. Several campaign offices have also been bombed, with many of the attacks blamed on the Taliban. The election is being fought against a backdrop of increased violence after thousands of U.S. Marines and British troops launched major new offensives in southern Helmand, long a Taliban stronghold. The Taliban on Thursday vowed to disrupt the election and called on Afghans to boycott the vote. |
| Posted by:Fred |