Polling stations open in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s parliamentary election started today just hours after at least four rocket attacks hit Kabul and the eastern city of Jalalabad, though no casualties have been reported. At least 22 people have been killed in election-related violence attributed to the Taliban; on Friday, the head of a voting centre in the south was killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. The Taliban have also blocked two voting stations in Nangarhar’s Surkh Rud district, according to CBC News. Roughly 2,500 candidates are running for 249 parliamentary seats in just the second parliamentary vote since the Taliban were ousted. President Hamid Karzai has urged citizens to come out and vote today, despite a warning from the Taliban that people should stay home and away from the polls.

CBC News