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The war-weary but hopeful Afghans are going to elect their head of state through direct presidential election Saturday amid tight security and growing concerns as suspected Taliban remnants have recently increased their terrorist activities.
Remnants of the former fundamentalist regime in their attempts to interrupt the election process have violently amplified their militancy as they have fired several rockets to the capital city of Kabul and major eastern town of Jalalabad since Thursday.
Moreover, situation in the Taliban's heartland in southern Afghanistan turned volatile as troops of Afghan National Army (ANA)backed by US-led coalition forces have failed to wipe up the militias from the region.
At least three Taliban fighters, according to officials have been killed, six injured and five others arrested in southern Helmand and neighboring Kandahar provinces since Thursday.
Taliban's elusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar whose regime was unseated by the now defunct Northern Alliance backed by US troops in late 2001 on charge of harboring al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, has termed the polls as a drama to "justify the US occupation of Afghanistan" and urged Afghans to reject it.
In line with the call, his militias, according to UN and Afghan officials have been involved in the killing of 28 civilians including 12 election workers since the beginning of election process in last December.
In one of the militia's deadliest attacks, 16 election cardholders were killed in southern Uruzgan province three months ago while the outfit threatened to target anyone who ignores the warning.
The brutality has now raised concern among the voters that the militia will target anyone who participates in the presidential elections.
To counter the threat, the Afghan transitional government has taken all the possible security measures throughout the country especially in the big cities including the capital Kabul.
All the entry and exit points in the capital city have been closed for traffic since Thursday and no cars from provinces are allowed to enter.
Afghan Interior Ministry in a statement assured people about the security, saying all voters can go to the polling stations without any fear and use their vote for the betterment of the nation.
Around 100,000 Afghan army, police, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and US-dominated coalition troops as well as pro-government militia forces have been tasked to ensure the security for the presidential elections.
To check possible subversive activities, ISAF, US-led coalition forces as well as Afghan army and police have increased their patrols on the capital's streets and search any suspected cars and individuals.
More than 10.5 million Afghans including over 4 million women are going to some 22,000 polling stations across the country to elect the nation's president.
Over 21 million ballot papers have been printed for Afghans both at home and abroad to be used in the presidential elections. According to officials, around 3 million Afghans are still living as refugees in Pakistan and Iran.
The crucial polling, according to the officials of the joint UN-Afghan election commission, will be observed by around 5,000 locals including domestic agents from 35 political parties and 600 foreign observers. Some 1,500 journalists from home and abroad have registered their names with authorities to cover the unprecedented event in the Central Asian country.
The balloting process lasts for only one day and voting begins at 7:00 AM local time (02:30 GMT) and ends at 4:00 PM (11:30 GMT) on Saturday, electoral officials said.
"If a voter is in queue after 4 o'clock in the afternoon, he or she will be permitted to vote," an official of the election commission said.
"The Taliban may conduct subversive activities but cannot derail the election process as the Afghan army, police, ISAF and the coalition troops are vigilant to meet any eventuality," Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahamd Jalali assured.
(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2004)
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