A provincial council candidate and nine of his supporters were killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan two days after they were kidnapped , said Sakhidad Haidari , deputy police chief of northern Sar-e-Pul province . The 10 were kidnapped Sunday and shot dead Tuesday night , Haidari told CNN on Wednesday . The bodies of four of those killed , including the Sar-e-Pul election candidate , Hussain Nazari , have been returned to police , he said . The other six remain in the hands of the Taliban . The Taliban have not commented on the incident , which comes ahead of presidential and provincial elections to be held Saturday . In a separate incident Wednesday , a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance gate to the Interior Ministry in Afghanistan 's capital , Kabul , killing six Afghan police officers , Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said . The bomber , who was seeking to enter the ministry , triggered his explosive vest when he was identified by police , Sediqqi said . The Taliban have claimed responsibility for that attack . Taliban vow to disrupt vote . The violence is the latest to rock Afghanistan in the run-up to the April 5 vote . There are 11 candidates in the presidential race , with the three main contenders thought to be Abdullah Abdullah , who also ran in the 2009 election , Ashraf Ghani and Zalmai Rassoul . Outgoing President Hamid Karzai can not run again because of term limits . The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the elections and punish anyone involved in them . But NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen , speaking Wednesday in Belgium , said that the latest briefings from NATO commanders show that despite the Taliban 's threats , overall violence across Afghanistan `` is lower now than at any time during the last two years . '' Rasmussen praised the work of Afghan security forces , which have taken over many responsibilities from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force , saying they had `` demonstrated commitment , courage and professionalism '' during preparations for the elections . `` As expected , we have seen a series of attacks including on Kabul today -- an attack which I strongly condemn -- but I welcome that the Afghan people have resisted these intimidation attempts , '' he said . He said the country was now looking forward to `` historic elections '' that would shape its future . `` My message to the women and men of Afghanistan is clear : Go to polls , exercise your democratic rights . Only you have the right to decide your country 's future , '' he said . Rasmussen said any alleged electoral violations must be investigated swiftly to ensure the elections are credible to all Afghans . He added that Afghan citizens are registering to vote in `` quite high '' numbers , despite the Taliban 's efforts to disrupt proceedings . Insurgent attacks . On Saturday , Taliban insurgents attacked Afghanistan 's election commission headquarters in Kabul , staff and a government official said . The five assailants were killed , and two people were injured . A day earlier , five militants set off a car bomb at a guesthouse used by foreigners and then held people as hostages until police killed one of the militants and the other four blew themselves up . A girl was killed in the attack . On Tuesday , militants stormed an election commission office in Kabul , leading to a five-hour gun battle with Afghan security services . Five people were killed -- two police officers , two election commission workers and a provincial council candidate . The Taliban claimed responsibility for all three of those attacks .
NATO chief praises work of Afghan security forces , says overall violence has stopped . The Taliban killed a provincial council candidate and nine supporters , police say . In addition , a suicide bomber kills six Afghan ##s at Interior Ministry gate , official says . The Taliban have vowed to disrupt April 5 elections and punish those voting in them .