Friday, June 06, 2014

Two Explosions Targeted Abdullah Abdullah as He Left Campaign Event in Kabul --- t the time of the attack, Mr. Abdullah, a former foreign minister, was riding in the armored car with another former foreign minister, Zalmai Rassoul, the presidential candidate who finished third in the election's first round, on April 5, and has since joined Mr. Abdullah's team. Both men were unhurt by the blasts, and Mr. Abdullah attended two other campaign events in Kabul later in the day. -- "The aim of today's attack was to create fear and terror, in order to stop the Afghan people from voting," Mr. Abdullah told supporters hours after surviving the blasts. "The right answer to today's plot is to go out and vote." -- Mr. Abdullah described the bombings as a "tragedy" and expressed his condolences to the victims' families. -- In addition to the six fatalities, more than 20 people were injured by Friday's explosions, police said. The force of the blasts shattered several vehicles and the hotel's windows, littering the area with debris. --- Shortly after the explosions, Shah Mahmoud, 54 years old, was frantically searching for his son, who had been selling fruit on the roadside near the wedding hall. "I want to know whether he is dead or alive, but so far I have no luck. His phone is not working," he said. -- Both candidates have pledged to sign, if elected, a security deal with Washington that would allow 9,800 U.S. troops to remain in Afghanistan once the coalition's current mandate expires in December. Mr. Karzai, whose office plans an inauguration of the country's new president for Aug. 2, has refused to sign the deal. -- Under Afghan law, the assassination of any of the two candidates would have led to the whole election being conducted from scratch, delaying the transfer of power by several more months. - More, WSJ, http://online.wsj.com/articles/afghan-presidential-front-runner-escapes-assassination-attempt-1402043894

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