Violence Delays Elections

With thousands of American troops expected to arrive in Afghanistan in the coming weeks to help fight the resurgent Taliban, Afghan election officials decided on Thursday to hold off on elections an extra four months to allow the soldiers to improve security beforehand. The electoral commission is also short of the necessary cash to properly run the polls, according to its head, Azizullah Lodin. "We have had security problems, budgetary problems and technical problems," Lodin said. The elections, which now are scheduled for August 20 and could be pushed back even further if conditions don't improve, will likely feature current President Hamid Karzai, who is expected to run for a second term.