As clashes continue, first Afghan presidential campaign begins

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's historic election campaign got underway yesterday, pitting 17 hopefuls against interim leader Hamid Karzai in the race to become the impoverished country's first popularly elected president.

The US-backed incumbent inaugurated a rare new factory and promised to help Afghans out of poverty, while the lone female challenger wowed widows with a tirade against warlords.

But fresh battles with militants in the south killed at least seven people, underlining the danger that violence could mar a contest meant to cement the country's recovery since the ouster of the ruling Taliban militia in 2001.

Karzai and his challengers have 30 days to try to impress the roughly 10.6 million Afghans registered to vote. But the start of the campaign was low-key.

Three candidates briefed reporters in a dank government ministry; others were busy preparing for the anniversary this week of the death of legendary anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massood.

Still, Massooda Jalal, the female candidate, won an enthusiastic endorsement for the Oct. 9 vote from widows at a bakery near the capital's war-damaged zoo.

"Those people who betrayed you and destroyed your homes and who killed your loved ones, they have no place in my government," she told about 50 women dressed in head-to-toe veils under a tree in the yard.

"Like a doctor, I want to treat Afghanistan's wounds. . . . Like a mother, I will improve the life of the Afghan family," the former U.N. worker said to wild applause.

Karzai, whose dashing profile in the West has helped raise billions of dollars in aid pledges, remains the favorite. Still, the bewildering range of candidates and the country's deep ethnic divides could split the vote widely and force him into a runoff.

The president cut a ribbon to inaugurate a $10 million cooking oil plant in the capital -- an event dovetailing with his pledge to raise living standards. He urged more investors to create jobs and wealth, and told Afghans to buy home-produced goods.

Karzai will announce his manifesto in the coming days, his campaign spokesman said. But because of concerns for his safety, it is unclear how much stumping for votes he can do.

A dozen election workers have been killed in shootings and bombings during voter registration, and the capital is on edge after the car bombing. The Taliban, the main force in a stubborn insurgency bedeviling mainly the south and east, was thought to be responsible for the attack.

Yesterday, officials said an Afghan soldier and six rebels were killed in the latest clashes with US and government troops in Zabul province. The US military, which is helping provide security for the vote, has warned that attacks could increase in the run-up to election day.