Quake, rockets strike Afghanistan on poll day

Kabul: Afghanistan experienced a magnitude 6.3 earthquake on Friday night and a bout of rocket attacks on Saturday morning which also saw commencement of voting for a new parliament. The Taliban has declared its intention to derail the election which is aimed at restoring full-scale democracy in a nation ravaged by decades of war and insurgencies.

The earthquake rattled the Hindu Kush region in northern Afghanistan, but no major damage or injuries were reported. Its epicentre was reported to be some 75 km (45 miles) southeast of Faizabad and 265 km (165 miles) northeast of capital Kabul.

Meanwhile reports have come in suggesting atleast two candidates and around ten election commission officials have been kidnapped by the Taliban. A senior Taliban military commander has also been killed by international forces operating in Afghanistan.

The vote comes at a time when the nine-year war against the Taliban is poised at a critical juncture for the International Security Assistance Force, an umbrella organisation for US, NATO and other like-minded nations from around the world. The US, the largest contributor to the ISAF, is currently involved in a 'surge' which has seen the number of its troops rise to 94,000 in recent times with the promise of many more thousands to arrive in the weeks and months to come.

The embattled nation has already conducted a contentious presidential election last year which saw Hamid Karzai retain his hold over the post.

More than 2,500 candidates are contesting 249 seats in the lower house of parliament, or Wolesi Jirga. Among them are 406 women contesting 68 seats reserved for them under new legislation designed to empower them in the social fabric of their country, particularly after a brutal five year rule in the period 1996-2001 before they were ousted by the United States.