Taliban militants burn down polling station in E Afghanistan

Related

2 local UN staff killed in

Afghan capital suicide attack

Taliban outfit once

again calls on Afghans to boycott election

Afghan election

campaign reaches its last day

Taliban militants

gun down provincial candidate in N Afghanistan

KABUL, Aug. 18

-- In recent pre-election violent attack, Taliban militants Tuesday set

on fire a boys' school which was supposed to be a polling center for Aug. 20

election in Paktia province, east Afghanistan, an official said.

"Armed militants burned a school in the wee hours of

Tuesday in Sayed Karam district," Aziz Ahmad Wardak, police chief of Paktia,

told Xinhua.

The school, where some 450 boys studied, was supposed

to be used as a polling station on Election Day on Thursday, but burned by

enemies of Afghanistan, he added.

Moreover, Zabihullah Mujahid who claimed to speak for

Taliban militants told Xinhua from undisclosed location via cell phone that any

school or other buildings would be destroyed if they are used as polling

centers.

Afghanistan's second presidential and provincial

election is set for Aug. 20 while Taliban militants have vowed to derail

it.