Taliban causes election delay in Afghan province

Afghanistan’s electoral commission on Friday postponed a weekend parliamentary vote in Kandahar province after a Taliban attack Thursday killed at least two provincial officials and wounded three Americans. Aziz Ibrahimi, the electoral commission spokesman, said the one-week delay would allow mourners to observe funeral rites for the dead.

An Afghan elite guard opened fire on Ibrahimi, his colleagues, and a U.S. delegation that included the top American commander in the country, Gen. Scott Miller, as they concluded a security meeting Thursday to plan for the weekend election. Police Chief Abdul Raziq, Intelligence Chief Abdul Mohmin, and two policemen died in the shooting. Three Americans, including a U.S. service member, a coalition contractor, and a civilian, sustained injuries. Authorities have not released an update on the condition of provincial Gov. Zalmay Wesa, who was also at the meeting.

The parliamentary election is still set for Saturday in the country’s remaining 33 provinces despite the Taliban’s threat to step up violence. Afghan officials will deploy some 50,000 security guards to more than 5,000 polling stations. On Friday, the Afghan government asked neighboring Pakistan to close its two shared border crossings with the country to increase security.