Abdullah pulls out of Afghan run-off election

Afghanistan's presidential challenger Abdullah Abdullah announced on Sunday he will not participate in next weekend's runoff election because his demands for measures to prevent fraud were rejected.

Abdullah stopped short of calling on his supporters to boycott the balloting.

Abdullah Abdullah said, "I protest the government's wrong-doing, as well as the Electoral Commission's wrong-doing. I will not participate in the November 7th election."

Abdullah made no mention of agreeing to take part in any future unity government with President Hamid Karzai, which the US and its international partners believe is the best hope for curbing the Taliban insurgency.

Asked by reporters if he was calling for a boycott, Abdullah said he had not made that call.

Karzai campaign spokesman Waheed Omar called Abdullah's withdrawal from the race VERY unfortunate, but said the Saturday runoff will proceed without him.