KABUL, May 12: Unidentified men on Wednesday night shot dead a candidate who was standing in Afghanistan’s first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Taliban government. Candidate Aktar Mohammad Tolwak’s driver and two militants also died in a firefight after his car was ambushed near the town of Deh Yak, outside southern Ghazni city.

Aktar Tolwak was the first candidate to be attacked since the start of campaigning for the September election. The shootings come amid a resurgence in attacks that have left more than 100 people dead in the past fortnight.

“Tolwak was killed last night after Taliban attacked his vehicle. His driver and two Taliban were also killed,” an official said.—AFP