KABUL: At least 13 people were killed and several others injured after an explosion hit an election rally, in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province, on Saturday.

The attack on the rally, organized on behalf of a woman candidate participating in the upcoming elections on October 20, underlies the security threat that poll participants are expected to face, with the Taliban issuing several warnings to derail the democratic process.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident — the third of its kind in the past two weeks — which follows a spate of attacks resulting in hundreds of casualties in recent months.

A spokesman for Takhar’s police, Khalil Asir, told reporters that the candidate was not at the site of the rally which was being held in the Rustaq district of the province where the militants have less presence compared to other parts of the country.

Asir added that one intelligence officer and two police officers were among those killed in the blast which was triggered by detonating explosives hidden in a motorcycle.

Apart from fraud and persecution of regional power brokers, threat to security is a major deterrent for the elections which are being held after more than three years of delay.

The vote is important for Afghanistan’s stability and as part of US-led efforts to reinstate democracy in the country, more than 17 years after it ousted the Taliban. The polls are scheduled six months ahead of presidential elections when President Ashraf Ghani will stand for office again.