Karzai on trail as seven killed by mine

AFGHAN President Hamid Karzai hit the election trail yesterday for the first time since an assassination attempt last month, saying a vote in four days would be a turning point for the war-torn nation.

While the president and his main rivals campaigned ahead of Saturday’s landmark presidential election, seven policemen were reportedly killed when their vehicle drove over a land mine in Kandahar. The Taliban guerrillas who vowed to disrupt the poll were believed responsible.

Hundreds of troops and security guards, including American bodyguards, were on alert as Karzai spoke to a crowd of 10,000 people in Ghazni, southwest of Kabul.