KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban on Tuesday denounced as a sham a presidential election due next month, saying their fighters would do everything they could to block it, while urging people to stay away from rallies that could be attacked.

Instead of the Sept. 28 election, the Taliban said, the focus should be efforts to negotiate a deal with the United States that is expected to see a U.S. commitment on the withdrawal of its troops in exchange for a Taliban promise the country will not be used to plot terrorist attacks.