Photos of Afghans voting in Lash Kar Gah, Afghanistan

Blackanthem.com, LASH KAR GAH, Afghanistan, September 18, 2005

An Afghan man dips his finger in ink at a polling station in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province, Sep. 18. The ink shows that he has voted in the parliamentary elections and prevents voting fraud by preventing people from voting more than once. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)	An Afghan man marks his ballot in a cardboard polling booth at a polling station in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province, Sept. 18. This is the first parliamentary election since the fall of the Taliban regime. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)
An Afghan man casts his ballot at a polling station in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province, Sept. 18. Polling stations were busy, but orderly, across the city. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)	An Afghan polling station official stamps and prepares a ballot at a polling station Sept. 18 in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . Voters waited patiently in long lines for their turn to cast their ballot. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)
Afghan men lined up early in the morning outside a polling station in Lash Kar Gah Sept. 18 to cast their ballots in parliamentary elections. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)	An Afghan National Policeman checks voters before they enter a polling station in Lash Kar Gah Sept. 18. Security provided by the ANP was tight, to include a curfew and auto traffic limitations on the eve of the elections. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)
Afghan women cast their ballots at a girl's high school in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province Sept. 18. Five hundred eighty three women, regarded as third-class citizens under the Taliban, took their rightful place on the campaign trail for 25 percent of the available seats. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)	An Afghan girl watches as her mother prepares to cast her ballot in parliamentary elections Sept. 18 in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)
Afghan children watch as their mother prepares to cast her ballot in parliamentary elections Sept. 18 in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . Five hundred eighty three women, regarded as third-class citizens under the Taliban, took their rightful place on the campaign trail for 25 percent of the available seats. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)	Afghan women proudly display their ink-stained fingers after casting ballots in historic parliamentary elections Sept. 18 in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)
An Afghan woman casts her ballot at a girl's high school Sept. 18 in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . In this country of roughly 30 million voting age people, more than 12 million registered voters turned out to cast their ballots at the polls Sept. 18. In the month preceding the elections, nearly 2,800 Afghans vied for 249 seats on their National Assembly, the Wolesi Jirga . More than 3,000 others campaigned for local assemblies in all 34 provinces. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)	An Afghan woman lifts her burka and proudly displays her ink-stained finger after casting her ballot Sept. 18 in Lash Kar Gah. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)
Afghan women line up at a polling station Sep. 18 in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)	An Afghan man proudly displays his ink-stained finger after voting in the nation's historic parliamentary elections Sept. 18 in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . In the month preceding the elections, nearly 2,800 Afghans vied for 249 seats on their National Assembly, the Wolesi Jirga . More than 3,000 others campaigned for local assemblies in all 34 provinces. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs)
Two Afghan men place their ballots in containers after voting in the parliamentary elections Sept. 18 in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province. (Photo by U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Stephanie Hika, 117th MPAD)	Separated by gender, women ran the polling sites where Afghan women cast their ballots Sept. 18. in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . Five hundred eighty three women, regarded as third-class citizens under the Taliban, took their rightful place on the campaign trail for 25 percent of the available seats. Nearly 5,800 candidates vied for (Photo by U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Stephanie Hika, 117th MPAD)
An Afghan woman receives ballots for the Sept. 18 parliamentary elections in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . In the month preceding the elections, nearly 2,800 Afghans vied for 249 seats on their National Assembly, the Wolesi Jirga . More than 3,000 others campaigned for local assemblies in all 34 provinces. (Photo by U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Stephanie Hika, 117th MPAD)	Signifying her vote, an Afghan woman proudly displays her ink-stained finger Sept. 18. in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province . Five hundred eighty three women, regarded as third-class citizens under the Taliban, took their rightful place on the campaign trail for 25 percent of the available seats. (Photo by U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Stephanie Hika, 117th MPAD)

Source : Combined Forces Command - Afghanistan