Taliban threats hit Afghan election

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Insurgents killed 26 Afghans in scattered attacks, but officials insisted they had failed to disrupt the vote, though turnout was affected.

After 10 hours of voting, including a one-hour extension, election workers began to count millions of ballots. Initial results were not expected until Saturday.

A top election official said around 40% to 50% of the country's 15 million registered voters cast ballots - a turnout that would be far lower than the 70% who voted for president in 2004.

Low turnout in the south would harm President Hamid Karzai's re-election chances and boost the standing of his top challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. Turnout in the north appeared to be stronger, a good sign for Mr Abdullah.

International officials have predicted an imperfect election - Afghanistan's second-ever direct presidential vote - but expressed hope that Afghans would accept it as legitimate, a key component of the West's war strategy. The Taliban pledged to disrupt the vote and circulated threats that those who cast ballots would be punished.

A voting official in Kandahar, the south's largest city and the Taliban's spiritual birthplace, said voting appeared to be 40% lower than 2004.

There were reports of low turnouts in Kabul compared with longer queues seen in the 2004 vote.

"In the early morning, the turnout was slow, particularly in the south of the country, but in the middle of the day, it turned out to be very good," said Zekria Barakzai, Afghanistan's deputy chief electoral officer. "In central and some northern provinces, the turnout was huge."

Security companies in the capital reported at least five bomb attacks. Kabul police exchanged fire for more than an hour with a group of armed men and two suicide bombers died in the clash.