KABUL: Hundredsof people were killed or wounded in violence related to Afghanistan's recentpresidential election season as the Taleban sought to undermine the democraticprocess, a UN agency said yesterday. The United Nations Assistance Mission inAfghanistan (UNAMA) reported that 85 people were killed and another 373 woundedin election violence during the period from June 8 to September 30.
On polling dayalone, 28 civilians were killed and 249 injured. Children accounted for morethan one-third of the victims. Despite the high toll, Afghan security forcessaid election day was a success because the Taleban failed to pull off anylarge-scale attacks that stole the headlines. The majority of Taleban attacksinvolved the use of rockets, grenades and mortars, as well as homemade bombsplanted near polling centres, including schools, the report found.
On July 28, thesame day as the election campaign started, militants targeted the office of Ghani'srunning mate Amrullah Saleh in Kabul, killing 21 people and wounding another50. "These attacks, along with public statements made by the Taleban,revealed a deliberate campaign intended to undermine the electoral process anddeprive Afghan citizens of their right to participate in this importantpolitical process, freely and without fear," Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UNsecretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan, said in astatement.
The casualtyfigures are actually a substantial improvement on the run-up to parliamentaryelections held a year ago, when UNAMA tallied 226 deaths and 781 injuries.Final election turnout figures have yet to be released but it appearsparticipation in this year's first round presidential vote is at record lowlevels. Voters stayed away, wary of repeated Taleban threats to attack pollingstations and also despondent about the chances of their ballots being fairlycounted in a country that has seen systemic and large-scale electoral fraud.
The Independent ElectionCommission however insists multiple safeguards including biometric verificationwill make this year's vote the cleanest yet. Preliminary results are dueSaturday, though officials have suggested this date will be pushed back a fewdays. The race is seen as a two-horse steeplechase between President AshrafGhani and his top rival Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. If no one wins amajority of more than 50 percent, the elections will go to a second round. -AFP