Afghan vice-presidential candidate survives ambush

One of Afghanistan'stwo vice-presidential candidates, Mohammad Qasim Fahim,survived an ambush by Taliban fighters on Sunday, campaign officials said.

Gunmen attacked the convoy carryinghimalong a road in northern Kunduz province to neighbouring Takhar province after a campaign event.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the convoy of up to50 vehicles. Fahim was not hurt, but one of his bodyguards was wounded.

Fahim and current Vice-President Karim Khalili are President Hamid Karzai's running mates in the Aug. 20 election. Militants have staged a series of attacks in the run-up to the vote.

On Saturday, they launched a co-ordinated suicide attack in the eastern city of Khost.

The local police chief said six attackers hidden under burkasstormed the area around the main police station and a nearby government-run bank.

All were shot and killed before they could detonate their suicide vests, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

A seventh attacker detonated a car rigged with explosives near a police rapid-reacting force, wounding two policemen, the ministry said.