Taliban Warns Afghans Not To Vote In Presidential Runoff

The Taliban has threatened to target the second round of voting in Afghanistan's presidential election, warning people to "remain far away" from polling stations.

The two lead candidates in the first round of voting -- former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani -- are competing in a runoff on June 14.

In a statement on June 2, the Taliban said its fighters were "once again fully prepared to operate against the workers and polling stations in the second phase of these counterfeit elections."

The militants had threatened to attack the first round of voting on April 5, but there was no major violence on that day.

The winner will inherit an increasingly strong insurgency in Afghanistan that comes as the bulk of foreign forces prepares to leave the country by the end of 2014.
Based on reporting by dpa and AFP