Taliban kill 48 as pre-poll violence mounts

KABUL, Afghanistan - Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 48 people and wounded dozens more in two blasts on Tuesday - one at a campaign rally for the president and the other in Kabul - with the insurgents warning of more violence ahead of Sept 28 elections.

The first attack saw a motorcyclist detonate a suicide bomb at a checkpoint leading to a rally where Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was addressing supporters in Parwan Province, just north of the capital, killing 26 and wounding 42.

Just over an hour later, another blast also claimed by the Taliban rocked central Kabul near the US embassy. Authorities initially did not give casualty figures, but later said 22 people had been killed and a further 38 wounded.