Taliban Battle Police in Kabul on Election Eve

Chaos and corruption aid insurgents' propaganda campaign

(NEWSER) - It's still not evident whether Hamid Karzai will avoid a runoff in Afghanistan's presidential vote, but the winner of the election is clear: the Taliban. Delays in tallying and alleged systemic fraud have given the insurgency new material for a sophisticated propaganda campaign that portrays the Karzai administration as corrupt to the core. And as the US, EU, and UN debate whether to accept the results, the Taliban is pushing the line that Western powers are in control of the country, reports the Washington Post. More»

(AP) - With polls now closed, Taliban threats appeared to have dampened voter turnout in the militant south in today's Afghanistan election. Insurgents launched scattered rocket, suicide, and bomb attacks that closed some polling sites. After 10 hours of voting, including a last-minute, one-hour extension, election workers began to count the millions of ballots cast across the country. Initial results aren't expected until Saturday. More»

(NEWSER) - As Afghans prepare to vote on Thursday, the top issue for all the leading presidential candidates remains whether and how to negotiate with the Taliban. Hamid Karzai, still predicted to win, has made vocal calls for negotiations but has done little so far in office, and Taliban insurgents are imperiling the election. His top challengers both want a more grass-roots approach to peacemaking. Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's main rival, told the New York Times, "If you lose the people, you lose the war." More»

'Nobody is ready to make any kind of deal'

(NEWSER) - Yesterday's militant assault in the heart of Kabul succeeded not only in paralyzing the city for hours—it also exposed the vulnerability of the US-backed Afghan government, demonstrated the resilience of the Taliban, and left the usually quiet city with a lingering sense of fear. The morning rush-hour attack offered a disturbing sign that the Taliban, who have traditionally made rural Afghanistan their stronghold, are now bringing the war to the cities, in a bid to show that no pocket of the country is safe, writes Dexter Filkins for the New York Times . More»

Dispute could spark fresh fighting in northern province

(NEWSER) - A powerful warlord-turned-governor's rejection of Hamid Karzai's election victory is raising fears that one of Afghanistan's most stable provinces could collapse into fighting. Atta Mohammed Noor—the only one of Afghanistan's 34 governors to have openly supported Karzai's rival, Abdullah Abdullah—has denounced Karzai as an "unlawful president." His many supporters in the northern province of Balkh are expected to turn violent if the federal government tries to remove him. More»