6 polling sites stay closed in Farah, Ghazni

FARAH/GHAZNI (Pajhwok): Three polling centres in western Farah and as many in southern Ghazni province could not open due to security threats, officials said on Saturday.

Mirwais Rahmani, the IEC chief in Farah, told Pajhwok Afghan News the threats included bombs planted on routes to these sites. However, he said people cast their votes at 150 other sites.

Two of the closed polling sites in Farah were located in Parchaman district and a third in Pushtkoh district. Security officials had previously assured all polling stations across the province would be open.

In Ghazni, three polling sites stayed closed in Qarabagh district and another two in the same district opened in the afternoon, Akhtar Mohammad Ajmal, the IEC provincial chief, said.

He said the three sites remained closed throughout the day due to security challenges, but did not say where exactly these sites were located.

The official said Taliban attacks were feared and that was why they closed the sites to prevent casualties among civilians.

He said despite threats from the Taliban and other insurgent groups, people massively turned out across the province to cast their votes.      

Meanwhile, Qarabagh district chief Fazul Rahman said the voting process went smoothly in the district but denied to comment on closed polling sites.

Five people wounded in insurgent attacks were shifted to provincial Civil Hospital from various areas, the hospital director Baz Mohammad Hemat said.  He said the injured were in stable condition.

mrh/ma

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