Afghanistan delays election in province following attack

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — As mourners carried a slain anti-Taliban police chief through the streets of this Afghan city gripped with grief and fear Friday, the immediate consequences of the attack that killed him were becoming clearer.

The Afghan government announced that the nationwide parliamentary elections scheduled for Saturday would be delayed by a week in the key southern province of Kandahar, where Gen. Abdul Raziq, the police chief, had been a towering figure.

Besides the general, officials said, the province’s entire senior leadership was either killed or wounded Thursday when a gunman — believed to be a member of the security forces who had joined the insurgents — opened fire as they were leaving a meeting at the governor’s office with the top U.S. commander in the country.

The U.S. general, Austin S. Miller, was unhurt and returned to his command in Kabul. Three other Americans, including a brigadier general, were wounded, according to officials, who said their injuries were not life-threatening.

Raziq had survived dozens of attempts on his life and was widely considered an indispensable U.S. ally with influence across critical areas of southern Afghanistan, in the Taliban heartland.

Often accused of having committed torture, extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights abuses, Raziq, 39, nevertheless was a major presence in the national psyche of a country battered and demoralized by the Taliban. His killing was bound to affect the voting not only in Kandahar, but also in wider parts of the country.

“This killing is the most significant military victory for the Taliban in recent memory,” said Graeme Smith, a consultant with the International Crisis Group.

The attack was the latest major setback for the parliamentary elections, which have already been delayed by three years. Kandahar is the second of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, along with Ghazni province, where voting will not take place Saturday, and one-third of the polling stations in the rest of the country will not open because they are in areas either controlled or influenced by the Taliban.

The insurgents have issued repeated threats about the elections, saying they will do everything they can to stop them.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan expressed concerns about the Taliban statements “that indicate their intention to carry out attacks against schools that will be used as polling centers,” and urged the insurgents to respect and protect civilians. In a statement, the mission said the schools and election workers cannot be regarded as military targets.

“The U.N. Mission deplores the level of violence that has taken many lives in the run-up to the elections,” the statement said. “Attacks directed against polling centers and civilians participating in the electoral process are clear violations of international law, and perpetrators of such crimes must be held accountable.”