Afghan Women Targeted in Attacks to Disrupt Elections, UN Says

[Khephra]

July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Afghan women are being targeted in attacks blamed on Taliban fighters trying to disrupt elections planned for September, the United Nations said.

Jean Arnault, the UN special envoy for Afghanistan, condemned yesterday's killing of a female electoral worker in a bomb attack in the eastern province of Nangarhar, the UN said in a statement. Two women helping prepare for the elections were killed near Jalalabad two weeks ago, in an attack claimed by the Taliban, which was ousted in 2001.

Afghan women were prevented from taking part in society under the Taliban, which took power in 1996. The militia's interpretation of Islamic law included banning women from working and stopping girls from attending school.

More than 6 million of Afghanistan's 10 million eligible voters have registered for the parliamentary and presidential elections, the UN said. They include 2.4 million women. The lack of security, shortage of international aid and slow voter registration may delay the polls, which have already been put back from June, UN officials have said.

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=aw57qamuSr_g&refer=asia

[Rose Siding]

1. I remember reading a quote by Karzai

When the voter registrations began, he exhorted some group of men to please allow their wives to register and they could later tell them how they must vote.