Gunmen kidnap Afghan election staff, burn voter documents

Gunmen have attacked a voter registration centre in Afghanistan, kidnapping five people, including three election employees, and destroying documents, officials said Wednesday. The incident in the central province of Ghor on Tuesday underscores concerns about security in the lead-up to the war-torn country's long-delayed legislative elections scheduled for October 20.
Armed men stormed the centre in Aliyar district as Independent Election Commission staff were registering voters, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Iqbal Nizami told AFP, blaming the Taliban. Nizami said the militants abducted three IEC staff and two policemen charged with protecting the registration centre. "They also set all the voter registration materials on fire," Nizami said. "We are investigating and have launched a search operation."