Fraud group voids ballots from Afghan election

A U.N.-backed fraud commission yesterday threw out votes from 83 Afghan polling stations and ordered recounts at hundreds of others in three provinces that form President Hamid Karzai's political base, reducing his chances of avoiding a runoff.

The Aug. 20 presidential election has been marred by allegations of ballot stuffing, phantom polling stations and turnout at some polls that exceeded 100 percent of registered voters.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Karzai's chief challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, charged that the massive scale of what he called "state-engineered" fraud has become clear only as the numbers have trickled out over the past three weeks.

With results in from 92 percent of the country's polling stations, Karzai has 54 percent of the vote, according to the latest official count. Abdullah has 28 percent.

But if the U.N.-backed Electoral Complaints Commission invalidates enough votes, Karzai's margin could drop below 50 percent, forcing him to face Abdullah in a runoff.

Decisions by this fraud commission are final under Afghanistan's electoral law. The group is made up of one American, one Canadian, one Dutch, and two Afghans.

Afghan journalists blamed a kidnapped colleague's death on what they called a reckless rescue operation by British forces and said yesterday that foreign troops have a "double standard" for Western and Afghan lives.

The death of Afghan translator and reporter Sultan Munadi during a raid that freed a British-Irish journalist for The New York Times could further fuel anger among some Afghans over the conduct of foreign troops. That ire threatens to weaken support for the fight against the Taliban.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office said that the rescue operation Wednesday in Kunduz was an attempt to recover both Munadi and reporter Stephen Farrell and that it was authorized as the "best chance of protecting life."

Munadi, 34, died in a hail of gunfire during the commando raid - though it was unclear if the bullets came from British troops or his Taliban captors. Farrell was not hurt. John Harrison, 29, from the British Parachute Regiment was also killed in the operation to free the pair, who were kidnapped Saturday.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that she sees little support for sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, forecasting a potential showdown with the Obama administration.

Pelosi is the highest-ranking Democrat to signal that any White House or Pentagon push for more troops will be resisted in Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he is urging Democrats to withhold judgment until President Barack Obama decides what to do.