Kabul, August 24: At least seven Afghan troops have been killed in violence-related incidents across Afghanistan, as a vicious Taliban militancy continues its menace in the war-torn country.
A police district chief in northern Baghlan province and five other troops accompanying him lost their lives when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb on Saturday, a spokesman for the provincial police chief said on Sunday.
Also in Afghanistan’s central Wardak province another soldier was killed in a firefight, after gunning down two Taliban insurgents on a highway, the defense ministry said in a statement.
The attacks come only two days after the people of Afghanistan cast their ballots in nationwide presidential and provincial elections.
Thursday’s vote, which was the second in the country’s history, was marred by more than 130 militant attacks — including numerous assaults on ballot stations — in an attempt to disrupt the polls.
The Taliban had previously threatened Afghans not to take part in the elections, warning they would slit throats and chop off fingers of anyone who voted.
However, despite the surge in violence on Election Day, which led to the deaths of at least 50 people, the vote was widely seen as a success for Afghans.
Shortly after the ballots were closed incumbent President Hamid Karzai and his main rival Abdullah Abdullah each described himself as the likely winner of the vote.
Also on Saturday, Abdullah, issued a statement accusing Karzai of using the “country’s apparatus to rig the election”.
Karzai’s spokesman on his part denied the allegations, claiming that the president’s camp had received reports of widespread fraud committed by Abdullah’s supporters.
According to Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission, the winner will not be announced until September 3. Preliminary results are expected on Tuesday.
If neither candidate wins a majority of 50%, then the vote will to go to a second round in October.
—–Agencies