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A woman stands in front of a polling station in Kabul on October 20, 2018. REUTERS / Mohammad Ismail

Voting day in Afghanistan, nearly nine million voters are called to the polls in a very difficult security context. The Taliban promised to do everything to destabilize the polls. And since the opening of this one, the incidents multiply, especially in Kabul, where several explosions took place near certain places of vote.

With our correspondent in Kabul, Sonia Ghezali

Fears related to this day of elections were confirmed as several explosions sounded in the capital. Throughout the morning, the sirens of the ambulances and the police sounded.

Very little information

There is very little information circulating about the victims. The authorities remain silent on the subject. It was a doctor from the NGO Emergency Hospital in Kabul who gave an initial assessment, writing on twitter that the institution had received thirty wounded and a baby died on arrival.

The inhabitants also relay the information by telephone, by messages sent on the social networks by alerting on these attacks. These are magnetic bombs in most cases, indicates a safe source. In the province, several incidents of the same type are reported on the social networks by witnesses.

Warning message

Electors who go to the polls make the trip aware of the danger. The Taliban have again sent a warning message this morning. All polling stations " will be attacked, " they wrote in a tweet . They warned for weeks that they would do anything to destabilize the electoral process they consider illegitimate. Added to this is the threat posed by the IS organization, which claimed several attacks during the election campaign. This climate of violence will undoubtedly affect the participation rate.

Voters braved the danger

Some voters still went to vote despite the danger. No sooner has Friba left the polling station than her phone rings ... Friba: " Yes ... I'm coming ... yes, I'm on my way home ". At the end of the line, there is her husband. Friba: " He's scared because of all these explosions, attacks that are taking place ." The young woman, 25, made the trip alone. She admits to having no peace of mind until the exit of the polling station but the stakes are too important, she says: " I came to vote because we have to develop our country, we can not not all the time let us dominate by fear. "

In front of the mosque which serves as a voting center, six policemen are posted, the machine gun slung over the shoulder. A military transport Humvee is parked near the alley that leads to the place of worship. The security device is up to Abdul Malek who exhibits his index covered with blue ink: " Until then, there have been no problems. Security is good in the polling station and outside the police search all those entering. A serious search that takes place at the entrance of the premises. But that can not guarantee the safety of voters waiting outside.