Afghan guards backed by US helicopter gunships raided a Taleban safe house, killing one man and arresting 15, to prevent attacks during this week's presidential election, officials said on Sunday.
The raid on Saturday night near the town of Spin Boldak came a day after 60 Taleban guerrillas planning to disrupt the election were intercepted nearby as they slipped across the border from Pakistan.
Local Afghan border guard commander Abdul Raziq said his men raided the house after a strafing run by US helicopter gunships. One man was killed and nine were wounded. In Kabul, the United Nations said the election campaign had been marred by intimidation and official partiality, but it expected the vote to be relatively free and fair.
As the candidates, their supporters and security forces prepared for the October 9 poll, President Hamid Karzai received a boost from one of his predecessors, Burhanuddin Rabbani, who heads the Jamiat-i-Islami, a major Islamic faction.
"In the light of previous agreements, Jamiat emphasises and announces its support once again for Karzai's candidacy," said Rabbani, president in the mid-1990s after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and the ouster of Moscow's protege, Najibullah.
His support was not unexpected since his son-in-law, Ahmad Zia Masood, is Karzai's running mate, but Rabbani reminded the president to abide by agreements with the Jamiat to maintain Islamic values, counter foreign influences and crack down on corruption.
Karzai, one of 18 candidates, has barely campaigned because of security constraints. He escaped an assassination attempt last month in the south-east, blamed on the Taleban - ousted from power by US-led forces in 2001 for refusing to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
On Sunday, Karzai left for Berlin to accept an international award. He will return on Monday.
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