A donkey carries a ballot box to be transported to a village, where roads for vehicles do not exist, in Panjshir province, north of Kabul September 17, 2010. Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections on September 18.
Credit: Reuters/Ahmad Masood/Files
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
-- International election workers here in Afghanistan call Saturday Sept. 18, E-Day.
Candidates
There are 2,584 candidates on the ballots for the 2010 Wolesi Jirga elections, across 34 provinces and a country-wide electorate for the nomadic kuchi tribe.
Some 406 candidates are women, who are allocated at least 68 seats.
Notable incumbent candidates include: Ramazan Bashar Dost, who came third in the 2009 Afghan Presidential election; Younus Qanooni, runner-up to President Hamid Karzai in the 2004 presidential election and the inaugural Speaker of the Wolesi Jirga; Shukria Barakzai, a vocal supporter of women’s rights; and Mullah Abdul Salaam Rocketi, a former jihadist who earned his name from his skill in shooting rocket-propelled grenades during the Soviet occupation. All three of them are standing again for one of the 33 seats assigned to Kabul province.
Other candidates for Kabul include: comedian Zamir Kabuli, who is famous for ridiculing politicians; Farida Tarana, a 29-year-old former female contestant on Afghan Star, the local equivalent of American Idol.[22]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_parliamentary_election,_2010
Afghan polls close after parliamentary vote
Afghans have turned out to vote in key parliamentary elections despite threats from the Taliban to disrupt the poll.
Six security force members were killed in a Taliban attack in the north, and at least five people were killed in other attacks across the country.
Among the scattered attacks across the country on polling day:
One soldier and five pro-government militiamen were killed and six people were injured in an attack near a polling station in Baghlan province
In Balkh province, three people were killed and four were injured in a rocket attack
A spokesman for the governor of northern Takhar province told the BBC that two civilians were killed and three injured in a Taliban attack on a polling station
A rocket fired in Kabul early on Saturday landed outside Afghanistan's state-owned TV station, close to the presidential palace and the Nato headquarters, police said
Officials told the BBC that two polling stations in Jalalabad had been attacked and security forces were involved in gun battles with militants in three areas of the city
The governor of Kandahar, Tooryalai Wesa, said his convoy was struck by an explosion while he was visiting polling centres, but no-one was injured
There have been rocket attacks in Kunduz province, where international forces were involved in gun battles with militants.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11349179
10th Mountain Division Soldier killed in Afghanistan
Fort Drum, NY – A Soldier from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division was killed in
Kaftar Khan, Afghanistan, September 18, from wounds sustained in a weapons attack.
Killed is
Corporal Joshua A. Harton, age 23, of Bethlehem, PA. Harton joined the Army in June 2007 and after completing training arrived at Fort Drum in December 2007. He was a cannon crewmember with the, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery. He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 1st Brigade Combat Team in April 2010. It was his first deployment.
Harton’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and the Driver Mechanic Badge. He had completed the Field Artillery Cannon Systems Qualification Course and the Combat Lifesavers Course this year prior to deployment.
Harton is survived by his mother, father, and sister.
'Better future'
Despite the violence and threats, most voting centres opened on schedule and without incident on Saturday.
Afghan Elections Show Courage and Vision
KABUL, Afghanistan (Sept 18) - The Commander of international forces in Afghanistan and the NATO Senior Civilian Representative today praised those who participated in, organized and secured the nation's parliamentary elections.
"The people of Afghanistan sent a powerful message today," said Gen. David Petraeus, commander of ISAF. "The voice of Afghanistan's future does not belong to the violent extremists and terror networks. It belongs to the people."
Gen. Petraeus also stated, "I commend, in particular, the Afghan National Security Forces, who performed so bravely today in safeguarding a weapon with greater potential than any other - the people's right to vote and to have a say in the future of their country.
It was an honor on this day, especially, for NATO ISAF forces to support our Afghan partners. We also salute the Afghan Electoral Commission personnel, the team of experts from the UN, and the Afghan and international observers for their contributions in the preparation for and the conduct of today's elections."
"Today's elections have once again shown that the people of Afghanistan want the chance to elect their leaders," said Ambassador Mark Sedwill, the NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan. "For NATO, ISAF and our Afghan partners it's clear that the future of Afghanistan remains one where violence cannot overthrow the democratic will of the people.
NATO stands firm in its support to Afghanistan and in its shared fight against terrorism and extremism that seeks to destroy the successes of the past nine years."
Today's elections are the first parliamentary elections planned, organized and managed by Afghans since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Security for the elections was led by Afghan National Security Forces with support from ISAF.
