Security Council condemns Afghan assassination bid

UNITED NATIONS, United States - The UN Security Council condemned an attempt to assassinate Afghan presidential frontrunner Abdullah Abdullah on Friday, calling for an orderly transition to a new government.

Abdullah escaped an assassination attempt when two blasts hit his campaign motorcade in Kabul, killing at least six people just ahead of next week's hotly contested runoff.

"The members of the Security Council underlined their support for Afghanistan's democratic processes, and looked forward to the second round of the presidential election and the continued orderly transition to a new administration," they said in a statement.

They condemned terrorist attacks against civilians and "attempts to disrupt elections by targeting election personnel, candidates or infrastructure."

"No terrorist act can reverse the path towards Afghan-led peace, democracy and stability in Afghanistan, which is supported by the people and the government of Afghanistan and by the international community," the statement added.

The council members also expressed their sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, and to the people and government.

It was the second attack targeting Abdullah during Afghanistan's election season, which has seen an uptick in violence with the Taliban threatening to disrupt the polls.