Spiralling violence unnerves Afghanistan before vote

"Suicide bombs which happened in Paktia and in Jalalabad, these are indications that indeed there are some elements either from Al-Qaeda or the Taliban that want to disrupt the elections."

Uh ! YOU THINK ?

AFP
KABUL — Spiralling Taliban attacks and record Western military deaths have put Afghanistan on edge less than four weeks before key elections that many fear could be overshadowed by violence.

The August 20 presidential vote, only the second in Afghan history, is seen as a crucial test in the nearly eight-year effort led by the United States and NATO to stabilise Afghanistan since the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban.

Thousands of newly deployed foreign troops have flooded into southern Afghanistan to try to wrest back Taliban strongholds, but the resulting surge in soldiers' deaths has created a backlash in Western nations.

Violence has spread in the east and north, while coordinated suicide attacks in three Afghan cities killed six people last week, underscoring the vulnerability of the government as the clock ticks to nationwide polls.

"There are major security issues again in southern Afghanistan, in eastern Afghanistan," said Haroun Mir, analyst from the Afghanistan Centre for Research and Policy Studies in Kabul.

"Suicide bombs which happened in Paktia and in Jalalabad, these are indications that indeed there are some elements either from Al-Qaeda or the Taliban that want to disrupt the elections."