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| Bomb Hits Convoy With Afghan Presidential Candidate | Bomb Hits Convoy With Afghan Presidential Candidate |
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| KABUL, Afghanistan — Eight days before Afghans are to vote for a new president, a suicide bombing took aim Friday at a leading candidate in what appeared to be the first direct attack on a presidential contender since campaigning began in January, Afghan officials said. The candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, escaped unharmed but initial reports indicated that at least four people were killed. | KABUL, Afghanistan — Eight days before Afghans are to vote for a new president, a suicide bombing took aim Friday at a leading candidate in what appeared to be the first direct attack on a presidential contender since campaigning began in January, Afghan officials said. The candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, escaped unharmed but initial reports indicated that at least four people were killed. |
| The attack took place shortly after noon as Dr. Abdullah was traveling between campaign events at hotels in Kabul, said Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. The police were still trying to figure out exactly what happened, but it appeared that there were at least two blasts in close succession aimed at Dr. Abdullah’s convoy. Mr. Sediqqi said the first was caused by a suicide bomber, but the authorities were still trying to figure out if the second explosion was caused by a bomb hidden on the road or a magnetic explosive attached to a car. | The attack took place shortly after noon as Dr. Abdullah was traveling between campaign events at hotels in Kabul, said Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. The police were still trying to figure out exactly what happened, but it appeared that there were at least two blasts in close succession aimed at Dr. Abdullah’s convoy. Mr. Sediqqi said the first was caused by a suicide bomber, but the authorities were still trying to figure out if the second explosion was caused by a bomb hidden on the road or a magnetic explosive attached to a car. |
| Mr. Sediqqi said at least four bystanders were killed, but the authorities were still compiling a precise tally of casualties. Dr. Abdullah was traveling with Zalmay Rassoul, a former candidate who did not make it past the first round of voting in April. The Abdullah campaign said Dr. Rassoul was not harmed in the attack. | Mr. Sediqqi said at least four bystanders were killed, but the authorities were still compiling a precise tally of casualties. Dr. Abdullah was traveling with Zalmay Rassoul, a former candidate who did not make it past the first round of voting in April. The Abdullah campaign said Dr. Rassoul was not harmed in the attack. |
| “We were together and a bomb hit our car. The car is destroyed,” Dr. Abdullah told supporters at a gathering shortly after the attack. “It didn’t hurt us but a number of my guards were wounded. The injuries aren’t serious. The second bomb also exploded. But the first bomb directly hit our car. God save us.” | “We were together and a bomb hit our car. The car is destroyed,” Dr. Abdullah told supporters at a gathering shortly after the attack. “It didn’t hurt us but a number of my guards were wounded. The injuries aren’t serious. The second bomb also exploded. But the first bomb directly hit our car. God save us.” |
| Dr. Abdullah got the most votes in the first round of balloting in April but did not capture enough support to avoid a runoff this month in his effort to replace President Hamid Karzai. | Dr. Abdullah got the most votes in the first round of balloting in April but did not capture enough support to avoid a runoff this month in his effort to replace President Hamid Karzai. |
| In the month before the first round of voting, the Taliban launched several high-profile attacks, including separate suicide assaults on a voter registration center and the headquarters of Afghanistan’s election commission. | In the month before the first round of voting, the Taliban launched several high-profile attacks, including separate suicide assaults on a voter registration center and the headquarters of Afghanistan’s election commission. |
| But the insurgents failed to disrupt the election, and there have been few major attacks directly on the campaigns in the two months since the first round of voting, though there have been reports of persistent violence against campaign offices and workers in far-flung parts of Afghanistan. | But the insurgents failed to disrupt the election, and there have been few major attacks directly on the campaigns in the two months since the first round of voting, though there have been reports of persistent violence against campaign offices and workers in far-flung parts of Afghanistan. |
| Still, it was widely expected that the Taliban would step up its effort to disrupt the second and final round of the election, in which Dr. Abdullah is facing Ashraf Ghani. Both men are former ministers in the government of President Karzai. | Still, it was widely expected that the Taliban would step up its effort to disrupt the second and final round of the election, in which Dr. Abdullah is facing Ashraf Ghani. Both men are former ministers in the government of President Karzai. |
| A deadly attack on a candidate could throw Afghanistan’s young democracy into a dangerous limbo. Under Afghan law, if a candidate is killed during the first or second round of campaigning or before assuming office, the entire election campaign must be conducted anew. The law was initially put in place to prevent losing candidates from trying to kill the winners so they could take the job that they had failed to win at the polls. | A deadly attack on a candidate could throw Afghanistan’s young democracy into a dangerous limbo. Under Afghan law, if a candidate is killed during the first or second round of campaigning or before assuming office, the entire election campaign must be conducted anew. The law was initially put in place to prevent losing candidates from trying to kill the winners so they could take the job that they had failed to win at the polls. |
| But what happens if a candidate is killed between the first and second rounds is not clearly spelled out in the law, Afghan and Western officials said. The hope is that some sort of compromise would be reached, such as moving the third-place finisher from the first round into the second in order to avoid having to redo the entire election from the beginning, which would be a daunting challenge for Afghanistan and its Western backers. | But what happens if a candidate is killed between the first and second rounds is not clearly spelled out in the law, Afghan and Western officials said. The hope is that some sort of compromise would be reached, such as moving the third-place finisher from the first round into the second in order to avoid having to redo the entire election from the beginning, which would be a daunting challenge for Afghanistan and its Western backers. |
| The death of a candidate “is our worst nightmare,” said a Western diplomat, speaking earlier this year. | The death of a candidate “is our worst nightmare,” said a Western diplomat, speaking earlier this year. |
| Starting the entire process over would likely cost more than $100 million, and it would mean months of uncertainty just as the NATO-led combat mission comes to an end and the number of American forces here shrinks to 9,800 by the start of next year. There are currently about 32,000 American service members in Afghanistan, down from about 100,000 a few years ago. |