Attack on Afghan candidate

Abdullah Abdullah, who finished first in the first round of voting in the election, told a campaign rally shortly after the explosion that he had been the target of the blast. At least 10 people, including three from Abdullah's entourage, were killed in the explosion.

"A few minutes ago, when we left a campaign rally our convoy was hit by a mine," he told supporters at a subsequent campaign event, also in the Afghan capital.

"My car was the target," Abdullah, 53, told the Tolo television channel. "It was a big conspiracy against me."

Abdullah is campaigning for the run-off in the presidential election to be held on June 14, after he failed to clear the 50 percent hurdle to win the vote outright in the first round back in April.

His opponent is the candidate who finished second in the first round, Ashraf Ghani.

The winner is to replace President Hamid Karzai, who has been in office since shortly after the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan and has reached the term limit.

The attack was condemned by the White House. "We condemn today's attack against Abdullah Abdullah's campaign event," Deputy State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf said. "As we've made very clear, the Afghan people deserve democracy - which they'll be exercising next week - not violence."

pfd,rc/hc (AFP, AP, Reuters)