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Rockets, attacks strike as Afghan poll opens
Source: Agencies |
September 18, 2010, Saturday
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AFGHANISTAN'S parliamentary election were marred by attacks before voting began today in a poll the Taliban vowed to disrupt and that will be a crucial test for the credibility of the government and security forces.
A rocket fired by insurgents landed near the US embassy and the headquarters of NATO-led forces in central Kabul about three hours before polls opened at 7am (0230 GMT), police spokesman Abdul Rahman said. There were no casualties or major damage.
The Taliban also attacked five polling stations in Badakhshan, Herat and Ghazni provinces, Rahman said. The stations had not yet opened and there were no casualties.
The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the poll and urged potential voters to stay at home even as President Hamid Karzai called on Afghans to come out to polling stations for what is their second chance to choose their own parliament.
Faizal Ahmad Manawi, the head of Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC), cast the first ballot when polls opened but traffic was reported to be light at other centers around Kabul. Observers fear the Taliban's threat could discourage voters.
Significant security failures would be a major setback, with Washington watching closely before US President Barack Obama conducts a war strategy review in December likely to examine the pace and scale of US troop withdrawals.
Corruption and fraud are also serious concerns after a deeply flawed presidential ballot last year. A third of votes cast for Karzai were thrown out as fake. Even though he is not standing, today's vote is seen as a test of Karzai's credibility.
It will not be clear for several weeks at least who among the almost 2,500 candidates have won the 249 seats on offer in the wolesi jirga, or lower house of parliament.
Preliminary results from today's voting will not be known until October 8 at the earliest, with final results not expected before October 30.
Almost 300,000 Afghan soldiers and police are providing security for the poll, backed up by some 150,000 foreign troops.
A heavy security clampdown was imposed on Kabul yesterday.
A wave of abductions spread across much of the rest of the country yesterday, however, with 23 kidnappings of people working on the elections, including two candidates.
A rocket fired by insurgents landed near the US embassy and the headquarters of NATO-led forces in central Kabul about three hours before polls opened at 7am (0230 GMT), police spokesman Abdul Rahman said. There were no casualties or major damage.
The Taliban also attacked five polling stations in Badakhshan, Herat and Ghazni provinces, Rahman said. The stations had not yet opened and there were no casualties.
The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the poll and urged potential voters to stay at home even as President Hamid Karzai called on Afghans to come out to polling stations for what is their second chance to choose their own parliament.
Faizal Ahmad Manawi, the head of Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC), cast the first ballot when polls opened but traffic was reported to be light at other centers around Kabul. Observers fear the Taliban's threat could discourage voters.
Significant security failures would be a major setback, with Washington watching closely before US President Barack Obama conducts a war strategy review in December likely to examine the pace and scale of US troop withdrawals.
Corruption and fraud are also serious concerns after a deeply flawed presidential ballot last year. A third of votes cast for Karzai were thrown out as fake. Even though he is not standing, today's vote is seen as a test of Karzai's credibility.
It will not be clear for several weeks at least who among the almost 2,500 candidates have won the 249 seats on offer in the wolesi jirga, or lower house of parliament.
Preliminary results from today's voting will not be known until October 8 at the earliest, with final results not expected before October 30.
Almost 300,000 Afghan soldiers and police are providing security for the poll, backed up by some 150,000 foreign troops.
A heavy security clampdown was imposed on Kabul yesterday.
A wave of abductions spread across much of the rest of the country yesterday, however, with 23 kidnappings of people working on the elections, including two candidates.
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