International > Gunmen Abduct Afghan Official, Candidate

District Leader, Election Candidate and Three Others Kidnapped by Gunmen in Southern Afghanistan

The five were driving in southern Ghorak district when they were abducted late Friday, said Bacha Khan, the local police chief. Dozens of security forces have fanned out across the area in search of them, he said.

The missing district chief was Nawad Khan, who had been appointed to the post in the past week. The candidate was Mohammed Yaqubi, who is competing as an independent in landmark legislative elections on Sept. 18, Khan said.

The three others were friends of the pair, he said.

Taliban rebels have stepped up attacks ahead of the vote, leaving more than 1,100 people dead in the past six months. The rebels have vowed to disrupt the polls, the next key step toward democracy after a quarter century of fighting.

Four election workers and four candidates have been killed in recent weeks.

A few days earlier a British engineer and his interpreter were abducted in Farah province in western Afghanistan.

2005-09-03