KABUL, August 4 (RIA Novosti) - Taliban militants set off a bomb in central Afghanistan's Wardak province on Tuesday as a convoy carrying the provincial governor passed by on the way to the capital, Kabul, local radio reported.
The governor, Muhammad Halim Fidai, was not injured in a blast, caused by a remote-controlled roadside bomb, the Salam Watandar radio said, adding that four suspects were detained shortly after the incident.
The war-torn country saw a surge in insurgent violence ahead of presidential and provincial elections on August 20. Security and corruption are the greatest concerns prior to the polls.
Taliban leadership has threatened to disrupt the elections and called on the almost 17 million Afghan voters to boycott the ballot.
Taliban militants fired at least nine rockets early on Tuesday at various districts of Kabul, injuring two people and causing some structural damage.
The Associated Press quoted Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid as saying the missile strikes were "to underline that the Afghan government does not control security around Kabul ahead of the presidential election."
Incumbent President Hamid Karzai's convoy was attacked in late July, although the leader, who is seeking reelection after his 2004 win, escaped unharmed.
Twelve people died and more than 20 were wounded in a terrorist attack in western Afghanistan on Monday when a remote-controlled bomb was set off in a busy area of central Herat, the regional capital.
Some reports indicate that the militants are using nitrate fertilizers and diesel fuel to make explosive devices.
