Taliban Vow to Disrupt April Elections

Hizb-i-Islami a radical group with thousands of fighters and followers across the country’s north and east claimed responsibility for the deaths of the two US contractors yesterday. The movement was founded by former warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar — a former Afghan prime minister and one-time US ally who is now listed as a terrorist by Washington. violence.The Taliban have vowed to disrupt presidential elections scheduled for April 5, a key test of Afghanistan’s fragile 'democracy'. 
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said on Monday that Afghan forces will be able to protect 94 per cent of the planned polling places in the election. He said police and the military have been working closely with the country’s election commission and have determined that 420 of the 7,168 planned voting centres will be too difficult to secure. Western sources in Afghanistan were sceptical about this. The Independent Election Commission officials have said that any polling place that cannot be secured will be closed.

Also on Monday, the coalition said one of its service members died Friday in the country’s east of a non-battle-related injury. It gave no other details. It is the first fatality for the coalition this month, bringing the year’s total to eight.