Toll in Kandahar bomb at least 40

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40 people were killed when a truck bomb exploded in the centre of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

KABUL, Aug 26(AFP): The toll in a massive bombing that ripped through Afghanistan's troubled southern city of Kandahar Tuesday has risen to at least 40, a senior police officer said today.
More than 65 others were injured when the truck bomb exploded in the centre of the city as people were breaking their Ramadan fast, General Ghulam Ali Wahdat, the southern police zone commander, told AFP.
"It was a truck bomb. In total 40 to 41 people have been killed and over 65 other people have been wounded," he said. "The area is still sealed off as the security forces are investigating."
The bomb, which officials blame on Taliban-linked insurgents, was set near a Japanese construction company and government offices, officials said. It caused massive damage, set a wedding hall ablaze and trapped people under rubble, they said.
The attack happened just after 7 pm (1430 GMT) less than two hours after the Independent Election Commission in Kabul announced the first results from the hotly contested elections held last Thursday beneath a cloud of Taliban-induced fear.
The figures showed President Hamid Karzai-who is from Kandahar province, of which Kandahar city is the capital-with a two percent lead over his main rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.
The neck-and-neck race between the two increasingly bitter rivals has been tainted with claims of fraud and ballot-stuffing, most of it in favour of Karzai, whose camp has been claiming victory since shortly after polls closed.
The results, from 10 per cent of the vote, also indicate extremely low turnout, one of the aims of the Taliban intimidation campaign, which could impair the credibility of the final result.
Meanwhile: Afghan election authorities are due to release more results from presidential polls after an early count gave incumbent Hamid Karzai a slight lead.
The results published so far suggest a straight contest between President Karzai and the opposition candidate, Dr Abdullah Abdullah.
Poll authorities are releasing results on a daily basis, with a further 10% anticipated in this latest batch.