British soldiers survey the site of a suicide bomb blast on August 18, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Eight people were killed and over 50 wounded after a suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of foreign troops. The attack took place on a major artery leading out of Kabul, just two days ahead of the Presidential elections.

A suicide bomber outside Kabul has killed at least eight people, just two days before Afghanistan's presidential election.

The Taliban, which is warning voters to stay away from the polls, is claiming responsibility.

The suicide bomber targeted a NATO convoy near a British military base. Two NATO troops are reported among the dead along with two Afghans who were working for the United Nations.

The attack came hours after mortar rounds hit near the presidential palace in Kabul.

NATO is still saying it will hold off on offensive military operations Thursday, unless necessary to protect the population.

In eastern Afghanistan, two American soldiers were killed and three wounded when their vehicle struck a bomb. A total of 26 GIs have been killed in Afghanistan so far this month.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the latest rise in insurgent violence in Afghanistan reflects a deliberate campaign to intimidate voters ahead of Thursday's presidential election.

Clinton told reporters at the State Department on Tuesday that the Taliban hope their attacks will create an atmosphere of fear that will keep people away from the ballot boxes.

She also said the Obama administration wants to stress to Afghans that it is their right to select their own leaders and that this voting opportunity is made possible by the security efforts of U.S. troops and those of its allies.