Taliban seeks Afghan election boycott; warns of attacks on security forces, polling booths

The Taliban has asked Afghanistani voters to boycott the presidential election and stay away from polling booths as it plans to conduct attacks against security forces stationed outside the electoral stations.

The terror group condemns President Ashraf Ghani's government and calls him a US puppet. The United States President Donald Trump's abrupt withdrawal from the Afghan peace deal after months of negotiations to end the 18-year war has plunged the country into uncertainty. Ghani is running for a second five-year term in the presidential office.

Calling the elections a "fraudulent process" undertaken to "mislead people", a statement issued by the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan on Thursday, September 26, asked people to boycott the elections and "not throw themselves into danger."

It stated that the group intends to disrupt the ballots by attacking security personnel that will be guarding the polling facilities in the country.

The statement also said that in case of any casualties, "all responsibility shall befall the participants of this American process themselves."

Security risks

The Taliban had previously warned of intensifying their attacks against Afghan and foreign forces in a bid to stop people from voting in the elections on September 28.

Last week, the terror group, aiming to target the government's training base for National Directorate of Security in Qalat, killed at least 30 people outside a hospital in southern Afghanistan.

Terror groups have conducted several attacks recently, including the recent twin attacks in Kabul where dozens were killed in a suicide bombing targeting Ghani's election rally. Militant groups, including the Islamic State (IS), have condemned the elections and warned around 9.5 million eligible voters against participating.

While the country's Independent Election Commission had requested security provisions for 5,373 polling facilities, security agencies said 410 polling centres were 'impossible' to secure and will be non-operative on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

However, the Afghan government has planned to secure polling stations in which police and undercover intelligence officers will be on high alert, Interior Minister Massoud Andarabi was quoted as saying to AP.

Around 300,000 personnel from Afghan National Security, Defense Forces, including both military and police, will be deployed on election day.