Vote count begins after Afghan poll

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While the landmark elections passed off more peacefully than many had expected, they were still marred by a series of attacks around the country.

Turnout varied widely, but early reports suggested it was weaker in the turbulent south, casting doubt on whether current president Hamid Karzai will get the 50% of votes he needs to be re-elected without a second round.

It was a mixed picture in Helmand province, where many British troops were killed or wounded in operations to provide security for the elections.

Just after the polls opened, there was a sequence of blasts in Helmand's provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.

Rockets were fired into the city, killing a child, and a convoy of vehicles carrying EU election observers and journalists visiting a polling station was hit by a small roadside bomb.

But the brief spell of violence did not appear to deter voters and polling centres in Lashkar Gah were busy for most of the day.

All Helmand's 107 polling centres opened, but turnout was expected to be much lower in remote districts blighted by the insurgency.

British troops kept away from the polling stations to avoid the perception that they were orchestrating the vote, but in many places had a busy day carrying out security operations.

Mr Karzai has engaged in intense behind-the-scenes bargaining with his presidential rivals, but the result could rest on how well the vote holds up among his Pashtun support base in Afghanistan's troubled south and east.