KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Tackling topics ranging from the Taliban to the future of foreign troops in Afghanistan, candidates battling to replace President Hamid Karzai faced off Tuesday in the first televised debate of a crucial election campaign.

The presidential race is playing out in the run-up to the planned withdrawal of NATO combat troops, and the April 5 vote will be a crucial test of whether the country can ensure a stable transition after years of war and while facing a Taliban insurgency that has vowed it will attempt to disrupt the poll.

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