Female candidate attacked, injured in east Afghanistan

Unknown militants in a pre-election attack shot and wounded a female candidate in eastern Nooristan province the other day, head of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said Thursday.

"It is a matter of regret that a female election candidate came under attack and injured in Nooristan yesterday," Seema Samar told journalists at a news briefing here.

This is the second that women candidates for the key post- Taliban parliamentary polls came under attack. The first incident was in the neighboring Nangarhar province last month but escaped unhurt.

However, she blamed on particular group or individual for the attack, while usually such attacks put on Taliban.

Seema Samar also said that two journalists had also been abducted in Nooristan but declined to give more details.

Remnants of the former fundamentalist regime who vowed to derail the elections have intensified their hit-an-run attacks particularly in their former stronghold Kandahar and neighboring mountainous regions.

Source: Xinhua