Afghanistan's Presidential Election to Be Held in September

Hamid Karzai, the interim President of Afghanistan, announced that the presidential election in the country will be held in September, three months later than originally scheduled. Mr. Karzai stated today in Kabul during a press conference that this delay will allow the United Nations to arrange for both parliamentary and presidential elections in Afghanistan at the same time. According to the Bonn Agreement, which was signed shortly after the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001, democratic elections in Afghanistan were supposed to take place in June of the coming summer. Prior to Mr. Karzai's interview today, officials had warned that the elections might be postponed due to administrative issues and security concerns. Meanwhile, military officials reported that in the last two days, new attacks have occurred by individuals suspected to be from the Taliban forces. They stated that in an attack in central Afghanistan, two soldiers were killed, and in the city of Khost in the south, a suicide bomber detonated himself without causing any injuries. Additionally, a rocket attack on a guesthouse in Khost injured three people. Today in Herat, a group of protesters marched in response to deadly clashes between rival local groups that occurred last week. Mr. Karzai has dispatched 1,500 soldiers from the new Afghan National Army, trained by American forces, to maintain peace in Herat.