Protests in Kabul as Afghan election crisis deepens

KABUL: Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah marched through Kabul on Saturday as fears grow of unrest erupting over alleged fraud in the election one week ago.

Abdullah has boycotted the vote count, pitching Afghanistan into a political crisis as NATO combat troops withdraw from a 13-year war against Taliban insurgents.

The former foreign minister accused his poll rival Ashraf Ghani, outgoing President Hamid Karzai and election authorities of all committing fraud to deny him victory.

The protests began peacefully as hundreds of activists shouted slogans and carried banners that read "Fraudsters should be put on trial" and "We will defend our vote to the last drop of our blood".

"The election authorities are not impartial," Asar Hakimi, one protest organiser, told.

"All the achievements of the past 12 years are at stake. We will continue protesting if the government and the election commission continue their hostility."He said the "anti-fraud" rallies were not organised by Abdullah´s campaign, but the crowds appeared to be made up of Abdullah supporters.

Many Kabul roads were blocked off due to the demonstrations, and security forces were out.

An early morning suicide attack in the city targeted Masoom Stanekzai, a senior official at the government body responsible for exploring peace talks with the Taliban.

Police said Stanekzai escaped the blast uninjured, but that one civilian was killed and three wounded.

Pakistan condemns terrorist attack in Kabul

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan condemns the terrorist attack on the convoy of Presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul, in which several innocent lives were lost and many were injured, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families, we are confident that the people of Afghanistan will defeat any attempt aimed at thwarting their democratic journey and their quest for peace and progress,” said the statement.

“Pakistan, for its part, will continue to support all efforts for peaceful elections and democratic transition in Afghanistan, it noted.

Policeman guns down 3 US citizens at Kabul hospital

KABUL:An Afghan policeman opened fire Thursday on staff at a Kabul hospital run by a US charity, killing three Americans in the latest deadly attack targeting foreign civilians in the city.

The gunman was injured in the incident outside the CURE International hospital and detained by police, officials said, adding that the motive behind the shooting was not immediately known.

"The attacker was a member of the police in the district," Seddiq Sediqqi, spokesman for the interior ministry told.

"He opened fire as the foreign nationals were entering the hospital, tragically killing three and injuring one more. Another policeman in the area shot the attacker, injuring him."

A medic who was treating the wounded told that a foreign doctor was among the dead.

"With great sadness we confirm that three Americans were killed in the attack on CURE Hospital," the US embassy said on its Twitter account. "No other information will be released at this time."

Kabul has been hit by a spate of attacks targeting foreign civilians this year, including a Lebanese restaurant where 21 people died, an attack on a luxury hotel and the daylight shooting of a Swedish radio journalist.

Last month Taliban militants attacked a Kabul guesthouse used by Roots of Peace, a US anti-landmine charity, killing two people including a girl.

And this month Associated Press (AP) photographer Anja Niedringhaus was shot dead by a police commander in the eastern province of Khost in an attack which also left her Canadian colleague Kathy Gannon badly wounded.