The Taliban, hardline Islamists bent on toppling the government, have deployed fighters countrywide to disrupt an election they brand a U.S.-backed sham. A veteran Associated Press photographer was killed and a senior correspondent of the same news agency was wounded on Friday when a policeman opened fire on the two women in eastern Afghanistan as they reported on preparations for the poll. The capital, Kabul, has been sealed off from the rest of the country by rings of roadblocks and checkpoints. Kandahar, cradle of the Taliban insurgency, was in virtual lockdown ahead of the vote.
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April 5th, 2014
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