At least nineteen election commission employees were killed in a Taliban attack in southern Afghanistan, officials said Sunday.
The Taliban used explosive-filled vehicles to attack Maruf district centre in southern Kandahar province on Saturday night, Zabiullah Sadaat, an Independent Election Commission (IEC) spokesman, told AFP. “Unfortunately, eight employees of the commission who were stationed in the government offices inside the district to register voters were killed,” he said. Qasim Afghan, a Kandahar police spokesman, said some security forces were also killed in the attack, and that communications with the centre of the district were cut off. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.