Holding their voter cards, women line up for balloting in Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s threats of violence kept many away from the polls. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Voters confer at a polling site. The presidential election pits incumbent President Hamid Karzai against a field of 30 contenders, including a former Taliban commander and two women. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Many people waited until late in the day to go to the polls, when they thought it might be safer. Taking note of that, authorities extended the voting time by one hour. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Afghan women line up to vote. At least five explosions, one of them at a polling station, were reported in Kabul, and for the second day in a row, police and suspected insurgents exchanged gunfire in the center of the city, leaving two militants dead. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Cars entering Kabul, the Afghan capital, before voting begins undergo scrutiny at a police checkpoint. Seventeen million Afghans are registered to vote in the presidential election. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Voters begin to line up as the polls open on the outskirts of Kabul, the capital. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Election workers at a polling station in north Kabul check voters’ names before allowing them to dip their fingers in ink as proof that they voted. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Afghans fill out paperwork at a polling station near north Kabul. The early morning turnout was light amid fears of violence by militants. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
