At least 37 injured in Afghan capital blasts
Xinhua
1540040688000

KABUL, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) - At least 37 people, including two policemen, were injured in multiple blasts near polling centers in Kabul on Saturday, authorities said.

VCG31N1052581928.jpg

Wounded people are being carried to a hospital after a suicide attack targeted a polling station during the parliamentary elections in Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood in northern Kabul, Afghanistan on October 20, 2018. (Photo: VCG)

Several blasts occurred throughout Kabul since early Saturday when the polling started across the country. Some attacks also took place in countryside as millions of voters visited the polling centers amid Taliban threat and intimidation.

The long-delayed elections for Wolesi Jirga, or Lower House of the parliament saw more than 2,500 candidates vying for the chamber's 249 seats.

The polling in the militancy-plagued country continued amid reports of irregularities and allegation of fraud.

Taliban militants who have vowed to sabotage the voting are yet to confirm any attack on polling stations in the country, where more than 50,000 security forces have been deployed to provide security for the polling.

Nearly 9 million registered voters, including 3 million women, out of 12 million eligible voters, were expected to cast their ballots to elect members of the lower house of parliament for a five-year term.