Suicide Bomber Targets Afghan Election Headquarters

A suicide bomber has targeted the headquarters of Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Kabul, injuring at least six people in a blast in front of the building.

The extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the October 29 attack, the latest surrounding the country's embattled parliamentary-election process.

Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said a suicide attacker on foot blew himself up outside the IEC office early in the day, wounding four employees of the commission and two police officers.

However, some unconfirmed reports said the blast killed a police officer and wounded five other people.

The attack came as Afghan officials were beginning to count ballots from its long-delayed parliamentary elections held over the past two weeks under tight security.

The voting in Kandahar Province was initially postponed a week and rescheduled for October 27 in the southern Afghan province after a high-profile attack by Taliban militants.

The Afghan elections were rocked by repeated Taliban and Islamic State attacks.

Both groups have warned Afghans against participating in the elections and have used violence to try to prevent people from going to the polls.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP