Abdullah claims victory as Afghan election crisis deepens

Kabul, Jul 8 Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah claimed victory today in Afghanistan’s disputed election, blaming fraud for putting him behind in preliminary results as fears rise of instability and ethnic unrest.

Abdullah told a rally of thousands of rowdy supporters in Kabul that he would fight on to win the presidency, but he called for patience from loyalists who demanded he declare a “parallel government” to rule the country.