Afghan poll 'must lead to reform'
18 August 2009
Presidential elections in Afghanistan must be accompanied by major reforms in governance and aid, a leading international agency has warned.
Oxfam said that despite massive investment a third of Afghans still faced hunger and poverty.
The warning comes a day before presidential elections which the Taliban have vowed to disrupt.
Meanwhile fresh violence erupted in Kabul as troops exchanged fire with armed men who stormed a bank building.
The Taliban, which has vowed to disrupt to elections, claimed it was behind the raid, but the authorities warned that the incident could simply be a bank robbery.
AFP news agency quoted a police spokesman as saying that three of the attackers had been killed.
On Tuesday more than 20 people were killed in attacks across the country, including a suicide blast in Kabul.
The government has asked the media not to report on violence on poll day to avoid deterring people from voting. source: bbc.com