The Taliban called yesterday for a boycott of the upcoming run-off in Afghanistan's fraud-tainted presidential election as top US and UN envoys predicted fewer problems with the second round.
While Western military chiefs say they can ensure the November 7 poll is conducted in a peaceful atmosphere, the warning from the Taliban threatens to further deflate turnout, which was less than 40 per cent first time round.
"The Islamic emirate (of Afghanistan) once again informs all the people that no one should participate in this American process and should boycott the process," said a Taliban statement e-mailed to AFP.
"The mujahedeen are fully prepared to defeat this process," it said, adding: "Anyone who participates and gets hurt will be responsible for their own losses."
The run-off sees former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah take on the incumbent Hamid Karzai, who came to power in late 2001 after the Taliban were toppled by US-led forces.
Eight years on, the Islamists are waging an increasingly virulent insurgency, particularly in their southern heartland, where attacks and threats helped limit turnout in some provinces such as Kandahar to 10 per cent or less.
Almost 200 violent incidents around the first vote were attributed to the Taliban, including amputations of fingers marked with purple ink as proof of voting, and rocket and grenade attacks on polling stations.
Tribal chiefs from across the war-torn country met in Kabul yesterday to discuss security.
"This time it's believed that more people will participate in the election," said Mohammad Nasim, an elder from southern Logar province. Almost one million of Karzai's share of the preliminary results - around one-third of all votes cast for him - were eliminated for fraud, cutting his lead to below the 50 per cent threshold needed for outright victory.
Karzai's campaign spokesman Waheed Omar said the incumbent had agreed to compete in the second round to ensure political stability but indicated the president's unhappiness at having to face a run-off.
In an interview with CNN, Abdullah ruled out joining Karzai's government should he lose the run-off.
"I think I left Mr Karzai's government some three-and-a-half years ago, and since then I've not been tempted to be part of that government... part of the same deteriorating situation," he said.
Karzai's spokesman also dismissed any power-sharing deal.
"For us the only constitutional way of establishing a new government is to go to a second round," said Omar.
The run-off has been proclaimed as a chance to revive Afghanistan's democratic ambitions and bring some credibility to the election process, supported and bankrolled by the UN to the tune of $380 million