Bomb attack hits Afghan presidential candidate convoy

A mine blast has struck the convoy of Afghan presidential election front-runner Abdullah Abdullah as he left a campaign rally in the capital, Kabul.

At least four people have been killed and 17 others injured during the Friday blast, though Abdullah himself was left unharmed, said Interior Ministry spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi.

The death toll is likely to rise, the official added.

“When I was leaving the rally… (one of) my car(s) was hit by a roadside bomb and damaged,” said Abdullah shortly after the explosion.

The blast also destroyed several cars and nearby shop-fronts, leaving the street littered with twisted metal and rubble, an eyewitness said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though experts say it bears the hallmarks of the Taliban.

The incident comes ahead of the country’s second round of presidential election on June 14, with Taliban militants threatening to disrupt the vote.

Abdullah failed to garner 50 percent of the vote for an outright win during the April 1 round.

He will compete against former World Bank economist and finance minister, Ashraf Ghani, during the run-off election.

Militant attacks have already claimed the lives of several campaign workers over the past few weeks across various regions of the war-ravaged country.