Millions of Afghans are expected to brave the threat of militant attacks to vote...
KABUL - Millions of Afghans are expected to brave the threat of militant attacks to vote in a presidential election on Saturday, hoping to prevent a repeat of a bitter, fraud-marred and ultimately unresolved poll in 2014.
The 70-year-old Ghani and Abdullah, 59, have ruled through a fractured power-sharing arrangement since 2014, their forces fighting against the Taliban even as the rebels held peace talks with the United States that were later abandoned. However, more than 170 civilians have been killed and more than 300 wounded in attacks involving the Taliban in the run-up to the election.Related CoverageOn Friday, a Taliban spokesman said in a statement that the group had captured the Darah Sof Payan district of northern Samangan province, another sign of the growing strength of the insurgency.
The Afghan government allocated $90 million and international donors have given $59 million to conduct elections across 34 provinces, but hundreds of polling stations in schools and mosques are likely to remain closed following Taliban threats.
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