The Taliban's Grisly Warning

As the U.S. eyes the safety of the upcoming election in Afghanistan as an important indicator of progress in the war-torn country, the Taliban has issued a chilling warning: Vote and we'll chop off your fingers. "We will know those who cast a vote from the ink, and his finger will be cut off," a Taliban commander said. The Taliban has called for a boycott of the election, and the Telegraph reports that it appears unlikely that lower-level commanders will agree to a ceasefire to allow voting. In addition to the fear of violence, the wave of criticism of President Hamid Karzai could also hamper vopter turnout. Karzai has been dogged by accusations of corruption, as well as criticism of his controversial approval of a law that says that a "husband can stop feeding his wife if she does not submit to him." U.S. forces will be providing protection during Thursday's election. It remains to be seen how well the effort will be received by locals.