Afghan presidential election candidate survives assassination

The frontrunner in Afghanistan's presidential election has narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Kabul after suicide bombers attacked his armoured car, killing three of his bodyguards and three bystanders.

Two bombs hit the convoy of Abdullah as he was driven through the city from one campaign event to another on Friday. They ripped apart the bullet-proof four-wheel drive, blew the glass out of nearby buildings and left the ground strewn with blood and twisted metal, but Abdullah emerged apparently unscathed.

"We condemn the attack," he told supporters at the next rally, which went ahead as planned. "If one person is killed it is a tragedy, but today six people lost their lives. Three were bystanders and three were from my team. They were young men, who had worked with me for a long time. The best response to this conspiracy [to kill me] is to go to vote on Election Day. Nothing can separate our team from the people."

It was first serious attack on a presidential candidate since campaigning began in February.

The Kabul police chief, Mohammad Zahir, said two men, one in a car and another on foot, carried out the attack, which almost entirely sheared off the front of the vehicle.

The toll could have been higher, but the convoy was still some way from the hotel hosting the next rally when the bombs exploded, and most supporters were already inside. No group has claimed responsibility, but the Taliban have vowed to disrupt a vote they say is not legitimate, and that anyone connected with it is considered a target.

If either of the two candidates due to face off in a second-round poll on 14 June are killed before then, the constitution stipulates that the election must be re-run. It would be a slow and risky process at a time of great uncertainty about Afghanistan's future. All foreign combat troops will be gone by the end of this year, leaving the national police and army to fight the Taliban alone.

Critical training and support from a smaller US and Nato mission depends on a new leader signing off on a long-term security deal with Washington. The outgoing president, Hamid Karzai, who was barred by the constitution from standing for a third term, has said he will not seal the agreement. Both candidates have said they would finalise the bilateral security agreement as soon as possible if they won.

Abdullah won 45% of votes in the first round, and has won endorsements from the third- and fourth-placed candidates, putting him in a strong position for the showdown with former finance minister and World Bank technocrat Ashraf Ghani, who won 32% of votes. Ghani has also won some key endorsements and it is expected to be a hard-fought race.

The first round in the election was an unexpected success, as Afghans defied Taliban threats by turning out to vote. However there are fears – partly in response to the news reports and the injection of confidence that the vote gave citizens – that the insurgents plan to cause more disruption in the second round.

The summer fighting season is now well under way so the Taliban, under the leadership of a new military commander, have more men and weapons to draw on for attacks.