Afghani presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, center, talks to his colleagues aboard a helicopter heading to a campaign rally in Ghazni, Afghanistan, Tuesday, June 3, 2014.
Kabul, Afghanistan:
Representatives of a powerful former Pashtun warlord say he has endorsed the front runner in Afghanistan's coming presidential runoff election.
The announcement by those representing Abdul Rasoul Sayyaf came Tuesday during a campaign rally at a wedding hall in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Sayyaf was a warlord during the country's 1990s civil war and there have been allegations of him having past links to radical jihadists including Osama bin Laden. As a Pashtun and charismatic speaker, he may appeal to Afghanistan's large number of religious conservatives.
Abdullah, a former foreign minister, will face former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in the June 14 runoff election. They were the top two vote-getters in the country's April 5 election.
The announcement by those representing Abdul Rasoul Sayyaf came Tuesday during a campaign rally at a wedding hall in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Sayyaf was a warlord during the country's 1990s civil war and there have been allegations of him having past links to radical jihadists including Osama bin Laden. As a Pashtun and charismatic speaker, he may appeal to Afghanistan's large number of religious conservatives.
Abdullah, a former foreign minister, will face former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in the June 14 runoff election. They were the top two vote-getters in the country's April 5 election.
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