26 Afghans killed in election day attacks

The next president will lead a nation plagued by armed insurgency, drugs, corruption and a feeble government. Violence has risen sharply in Afghanistan in the last three years, and the U.S. now has more than 60,000 forces in the country close to eight years after the U.S. invasion following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Taliban threats scared voters and dampened turnout in the militant south on Thursday as Afghans voted for president for the second time ever. Insurgents killed 26 Afghans in scattered attacks, but officials said militants failed to disrupt the vote.

After 10 hours of voting, including a last-minute, one-hour extension, election workers began to count millions of ballots. Initial results weren't expected for several days.

A top election official told The Associated Press he thinks 40 to 50 percent of the country's 15 million registered voters cast ballots _ a turnout that would be far lower than the 70 percent who cast ballots for president in 2004.

Low turnout in the south would harm President Hamid Karzai's re-election chances and boost the standing of his top challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. Turnout in the north appeared to be stronger, a good sign for Mr Abdullah. International officials have predicted an imperfect election _ Afghanistan's second-ever direct presidential vote _ but expressed hope that Afghans would accept it as legitimate, a key component of President Barack Obama's war strategy. Taliban militants, though, pledged to disrupt the vote and circulated threats that those who cast ballots would be punished.

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