Afghanistan postpones parliamentary vote

KABUL - Afghanistan postponed parliamentary elections Sunday until September because of a lack of funding from donor nations after widespread fraud in last year's presidential poll.

The announcement came as President Hamid Karzai left for Turkey for a tour that will include Berlin and London. He will appeal for financial support for his government.

Another flawed election would erode support for Karzai's government at a time when he has pledged to battle corruption and improve services as fighting against the Taliban escalates.

Three U.S. service members were killed in two separate bombings yesterday in southern Afghanistan. That brings to 25 the number of American deaths in Afghanistan so far this month, compared with 14 for the whole of January last year.

The Independent Election Commission has said it needed about $50 million from the international community to pay for the parliamentary election, budgeted to cost $120 million.

That money has not come through in time to hold the vote as planned on May 22, according to commissioner Fazel Ahmed Manawi. He also attributed the delay to security concerns, logistical challenges and the need to improve the election process at a news conference to announce the decision.

The vote will be held on Sept. 18 instead, Manawi said.

The UN said the decision would allow time to prepare for the vote and to improve the electoral process based on lessons learned from past votes.

Yesterday's deaths brought to five the number of American troops killed in bombings over two days in southern Afghanistan, which is expected to be the main focus of the troop surge.

The first explosion killed two troops and one died in a second blast, NATO said in separate statements.

A suicide bomber in southern Helmand province targeted U.S. troops in a market Saturday, killing two Afghan children, officials said. NATO reported two U.S. service members killed in the area earlier Saturday but would not specify if it was the same attack, pending notification of their families.