KABUL , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- Five people connected to an Afghan presidential candidate have been released after being kidnapped the day before , an official with the candidate said . Five of Dr Abdullah Abdullah 's campaign workers were kidnapped and later released . The group of five , who worked for Dr. Abdullah Abdullah , were in a two-car caravan in northwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday when they were abducted , said Sayed Ahmad Samey , the security chief of Badghis province . Elders negotiated for their release , Samey said . The workers have now been freed and are in a good condition , according to Sami Panah of Abdullah 's campaign office . Abdullah is a former Foreign Minister who is seeking to unseat incumbent President Hamid Karzai in the August 20 election . This is not the first time that Abdullah 's supporters have been targeted . One of the presidential hopeful 's campaign workers was wounded by an unknown gunman in late July . A month earlier , gunmen in the province of Kapisa killed another of Abdullah 's campaign managers in a midnight attack . Hundreds of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers have headed to southern Afghanistan to secure polling stations and protect citizens during the elections . It will be the nation 's second presidential election since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 .
Afghan election campaign workers released after midnight kidnap . The group of Five were working for presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah . Abdullah Abdullah seeking to unseat incumbent President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday .