Afghans vote under heavy security

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan —  With helicopters circling overhead and police checkpoints blanketing the streets, Afghans headed to the polls Saturday to pick a new parliament.

At a polling place in central Kabul — an elementary school repurposed for the day — voters emerged one by one, some holding up the ink-stained fingers that were proof of having cast a ballot.

Turnout, though, was expected to be low, especially in rural areas where travel is dangerous.

In some villages, particularly in the south where the insurgency is strongest, notices posted in mosques by the Taliban warned people to stay away from the polls.

Security was extremely tight for the daylong vote, with truckloads of police stationed every few blocks in the capital. Before dawn, a rocket struck Kabul, landing not far from the presidential palace and the U.S. Embassy, but it caused no injuries or serious damage.

A bomb blast before voting began prevented another polling place on the capital’s outskirts from opening on schedule, police said.

Afghan police and soldiers, by design, were the most visible security presence, with nearly 300,000 of them deployed to protect polling places and other sensitive sites. Troops from the NATO force were also on alert, but they were deliberately hanging back to put a more “Afghan face” on the election.

About 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats in the Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of parliament. The summerlong campaign was an almost clandestine affair, with few candidates daring to hold public events.

For security reasons, many campaigned mainly by telephone or by appearing at small gatherings organized only a few hours in advance.

At least two dozen people were killed during the campaign, including four candidates, and a number of campaign workers were abducted.

Preliminary results of the vote will not be available for about two weeks, with a final certified tally due in late October.

laura.king@latimes.com