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AFGHANISTAN-UNREST LEAD
7 killed in election rally suicide bomb blast in Afghanistan
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Oct 2, 2018 (BSS/XINHUA) — At least seven people
were killed and 25 others wounded after a suicide bombing ripped through an
election rally in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar on Tuesday, a
local official said.
“The incident occurred at a parliamentary election candidate at around mid-
day in Kama district in east of provincial capital Jalalabad city. The number
of casualties may change as several wounded were in critical condition,” the
official who declined to be named told Xinhua.
Security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures.
The casualties were shifted to nearby hospitals by ambulances and police
vehicles.
Further details about the incident are still forthcoming amid the absence
of any official statement.
The electoral campaign for the Oct. 20 Afghan parliamentary and district
councils elections began Friday across the country.
Around 2,691 candidates from 33 out of 34 provinces (excluding Ghazni) will
stand for the parliament’s 249 seats, another milestone in the war-torn
country’s electoral history.
More than 50 people, including seven election candidates, have been killed
in election-related attacks and explosions across the country since early
this year.
BSS/XINHUA/ARS/1637 hrs