KABUL: As millions of Afghans cast their votes on Saturday for a successor to President Hamid Karzai in a landmark election, violent incidents in varous parts of the country left nine persons including two policemen injured.
The incidents took place in Afghanistan’s southern Zabul, Helmand, central Logar and eastern Laghman provinces, official said.
In a mine blast that occurred at a station in Mughal Khel High School in Muhammad Agha district, three civilians sustained injuries, the district administrative chief Abdul Halim said.
Separately, fierce clashes were ongoing between militants and police close to a polling station in Marjah district of Helmand province. The Taliban militants were firing toward the polling station to bar people from voting, according to a resident Wali Muhammad.
In another violent incident, two policemen were injured when a blast took place in Shah Wali Kot district of Laghman province.
The officials from Zabul province said that three militants were gunned downwhen they attacked a polling station in Shar-e-Safa district.
Earlier in the morning, an explosion occurred at a polling station in Afghanistan’s southeastern province of Logar that left at least four voters injured.
“The blast took place close to a polling station which is a school building and wounded four voters, one critically,” Abdul Hameed, governor of the province’s Muhammad Agha district told a foreign news agency.
The Afghan Taliban have rejected the election as a foreign plot, and urged their fighters to attack polling staff, voters and security forces.
