Kabul: The Afghan government on Tuesday appealed
for an Afghan and international media blackout on reporting
extremist attacks during this week`s elections, in a bid to
maximise voter turnout.
"All domestic and international media agencies are
requested to refrain from broadcasting any incident of
violence during the election process from 6 am to 8 pm on 20
August," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The statement said the country`s national security
council made the request "in view of the need to ensure the
wide participation of the Afghan people... and prevent any
election-related terroristic," said the statement in English."
Taliban insurgents has escalated threats to derail the
elections, warning people not to vote and thereby make
themselves a victim of attacks.
A suicide attack targeting a NATO convoy in the capital
Kabul today killed more than seven people, including two UN
staffers and an unknown number of NATO soldiers. Over 50
Afghans were wounded, officials said.
There are fears that poor turnout, because of insecurity,
could call into question the legitimacy of the polls.
There are around 300,000 Afghan and NATO- and US-led
troops in Afghanistan mobilised in a bid to secure voting.
Dozens of extra foreign journalists have poured into
Afghanistan in order to help cover the elections, which mark
the second time in history that Afghans will elect a
president.
Bureau Report
