Iran Press/ Asia: An explosion has left at least 13 dead and dozens more injured at an election rally in Takhar province, northeastern Afghanistan.
Local media reports that explosives in a motorcycle detonated near the rally for Nazifa Yousufi Bek, a candidate for the upcoming October 20 parliamentary elections reported RT. She was not present at the time of the blast.
Afghani authorities have said no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, however the Taliban had previously vowed to target government security forces and disrupt the elections.
Officials in Takhar province said most of the victims were civilians, except two policemen and one person from the Afghan intelligence agency NDS.
More than 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats. Sixty-eight parliamentary seats are reserved for women.
This is the third attack on election-related activities in Afghanistan this month. On Tuesday, an attack on a campaign office in Helmand province killed eight people. Before that, an attack on an election rally in Nangarhar killed 14 people.
Security is one of the biggest concerns, not just in the run up to the elections but on the day itself. The Afghan Ministry of Interior says more than 50,000 security personnel will be deployed to the 5,100 polling stations across the country on election day and more forces would be on standby if needed.
In at least 19 districts, polling stations were facing increased security threats, according to the ministry.
Parliamentary elections were scheduled to be held in Afghanistan on 15 October 2016, to elect members of the House of the People, but were postponed to 7 July 2018 and then again to 20 October 2018.
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