Afghanistan Minister of Interior Wais Barmak told TOLOnews on Saturday evening that 192 security incidents had been reported countrywide during the day – as people cast their votes in the long-awaited parliamentary elections.
He said these included a number of different types of incidents including grenade and IED explosions.
Barmak said at least 17 civilians were killed and 83 civilians were wounded in these incident and there had been 1,700 threats issued.
The minister also said 10 policemen and one Afghan National Army soldier were killed. Seventeen personnel of security forces were wounded throughout the day, he added.
Officials from the interior ministry said earlier in the day that although a number of incidents were recorded nationwide, the militants did not manage to achieve their goal of disrupting elections.
Gen. Akhtar Mohammad Ibrahimi, deputy minister of interior for security said the deadliest attack on Saturday had been a suicide bombing in Kabul’s PD17 that claimed the lives of 10 civilians and five policemen.
Officials said despite the attacks, people still went to the polling centres.