Afghanistan Holds Presidential Election Amid Attacks

Afghans headed to the polls on September 28 to elect a new president, amid reports of attacks at polling stations. Some 72,000 security personnel were expected to secure polling centers across the country, which opened at 7 a.m. and were originally scheduled to close at 3 p.m., but the Independent Election Commission later extended voting by two hours until 5 p.m. More than 2,000 out of 7,000 polling stations will be closed due to the threat of militant violence. Around 9.6 million Afghans registered to vote in the election, the fourth presidential vote since the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban in 2001.