US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Afghanistan to try to help resolve tensions over the countrys disputed presidential elections. He will meet both of the candidates claiming victory in Junes run-off, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani. Mr Kerry earlier warned against a power grab, amid reports that Mr Abdullah was planning a parallel government. President Hamid Karzai is stepping down after more than 10 years in power after the US-led overthrow of the Taliban. The fact Mr Kerry made this trip at such short notice, is an indication of just how concerned the US is about the risk of Afghanistan descending into post-election turmoil, the BBCs Aleem Maqbool in Kabul reports. It has become clear that seeing the way Iraq has unravelled so dramatically after US troops withdrawal has made the White House all the more desperate that Afghanistan should fare better, our correspondent says.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 01:02:33 +0000