KABUL, Sept 7: Campaigning for next month's presidential election in Afghanistan kicked off on Tuesday, opening a race in which a war-weary and ethnically-divided people will choose their leader for the first time.

Incumbent President Hamid Karzai also began his campaign on Tuesday, his spokesman Jawad Ludin told a weekly press conference, but no policy statements were issued. "Mr Karzai has started his electoral campaign today," Mr Ludin told reporters. He declined to answer questions about President Karzai's campaign platform, saying it would be handled at a later press conference.

Eighteen candidates including US-installed Hamid Karzai are running in the October 9 vote, which will fall three years after the US unleashed a military assault to destroy the Taliban regime.

The vote count will take two to three weeks and if Mr Karzai, considered the front-runner against his 17 challengers, fails to win a clear majority, the election could drag on through Ramazan and into November.

About 10.5 million people have registered to vote in the first-ever presidential elections - more than the 9.8 eligible voters earlier forecast by the United Nations.

SEVEN KILLED: At least six Taliban fighters and a government soldier have been killed in the latest wave of violence in the southern province of Afghanistan, local officials said on Tuesday.

"If they do not listen to our warning, they will become our targets through all kinds of possible attacks, suicide or otherwise," Abdul Latif Hakimi told Reuters by satellite phone from an undisclosed location.

Mr Hakimi denounced President Karzai as a 'puppet' who had already been chosen for the post by Washington. "Therefore, we strongly advise the other candidates and the people not to waste their time and lives for the sake of this show," he said.

On Monday night, a group of some 70 Taliban attacked the Naw Bahar district headquarters in Zabul province, Jailani Khan, a provincial official, said. "The fighting lasted for several hours and the Taliban retreated after suffering four deaths and killing one of our soldiers," he said. -AFP/Reuters