Kabul residents are eager to vote in the Afghan parliamentary elections and say Taliban threat would not stop them from casting ballots, RIA Novosti correspondent reported from the Afghan capital.
Elections to the Afghan parliament's lower house, Wolesi Jirga, open at 7 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. local time on Saturday. The Taliban has threatened that voters would be targets of attacks.
"We do not care about the Taliban, if need be, we will fight against them on the battlefield," one of the voters, Jahia, said.
Any Taliban attack will be repelled and will not break up the elections, Jahia said.
Afghan police disproved reports on rocket attack on Kabul on Saturday morning. The polling stations in the city are strictly cordoned off.
On Saturday morning the Taliban attacked by fire Maidan Shahr, the administrative center of the Wardak province. Several civilians have been killed in the attack.
This is the second time that general elections have been held in the war-torn Central Asian state since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
RIA Novosti is the only Russian news agency that enjoys observer status at the Afghan parliamentary elections.
The polls were initially scheduled to be held in May, but were then postponed because of "security concerns, logistical problems, and insufficient funds."
A total of 2,577 candidates, including 405 women, are expected to run for 249 parliamentary seats.
Since the beginning of the election campaign in Afghanistan, 21 election officials have been killed and 26 wounded.
Four parliamentary candidates were killed and two kidnapped during the campaign, according to official reports.
Final results of the elections are expected around October 31.
CABUL, August 18 (RIA Novosti)
