Afghan lawmaker contesting elections killed by bomb under office chair

An Afghan lawmaker and candidate in this week’s parliamentary elections was among four people killed on Wednesday by a bomb planted under his office chair, Reuters reported. The attack was claimed by the Afghan Taliban. The MP, Abdul Jabar Qahraman, was killed as he prepared for Saturday’s election, a government official said, becoming the 10th candidate killed in the past two months. Two others were abducted and four wounded by hardline Islamist militants. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast in the southern province of Helmand, saying in a statement: “We have killed Qahraman, a renowned communist.” President Abdul Ghani condemned the attack, saying that “such brutal acts of the terrorists and their supporters cannot weaken people’s trust in the peaceful and democratic processes.” The Taliban have told Afghans to boycott the long-delayed parliamentary polls.