Afghan provincial polls candidate among nine killed

Taliban militants killed a kidnapped provincial council polls candidate and eight civilians in the country's northern province of Sari Pul overnight, officials said Wednesday.

The victims were kidnapped by militants Sunday evening in Balkhab district of the province, 350 km north of Afghan capital Kabul.

"The bullet-riddled bodies of candidate Hussain Nazari and eight civilians were found in Doghabi area early Wednesday morning," the provincial deputy police chief, Sakhi Dad Haydari, told Xinhua.

The eight killed were not Nazari's supporters. They were civilians traveling with him in a minibus and all were kidnapped by the militants, the official said. He rejected earlier reports that those killed were supporters of the slain candidate.

A seven-year-old child was among those killed while one person survived the attack with serious wounds, the source noted.

Afghanistan's third presidential and provincial council elections are slated for April 5. Up to eight contenders, including several former ministers and other politicians, have joined the race for the country's top post. Over 2,500 contenders are in the running for the provincial councils seats.

The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the election process. A provincial council poll candidate was among 10 killed during a Taliban attack on an election sub-office in Kabul March 25.