14 Afghan civilians killed in attacks on polling centres

About 14 Afghan civilians were killed and 41 others wounded in attacks targeting polling centers on Saturday, sources said.
Afghanistan presidential election runoff started on Saturday morning and concluded at around 4 p.m. local time.
"A total of 14 civilians were killed and 41 civilians wounded during attacks launched by Taliban insurgents on polling centers during presidential election runoff hold on Saturday," the deputy interior minister in charge of security, General Mohammad Ayoub Salangi told local media.
When asked about the number of attacks, Salangi said that the militants launched more than 150 attacks including armed attacks and firing rocket propelled grenades.
The attacks also included 15 roadside bombings and at least one ambush attack.
The majority of the Taliban attacks took place in Nangarhar, Kunar, Badakhshan, Faryab and Herat provinces, he said.
The runoff election will decide whether former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah or ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai leads the country into a new era with declining international military and civilian assistance.
The preliminary results of the runoff will be clear on July 2 while the final result of the polls will be announced on July 22.
The casualties on security forces remained unknown. However, unofficial sources said 15 security forces were killed and several dozens were wounded during the above incidents.
The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched an annual rebel offensive against Afghan government forces and more than 51,000 NATO-led troops stationed in the country in mid-May.