Security personnel cast their ballots nationwide Monday ahead of Iraq´s first election since the US troops withdrawal.
Uniformed and civilian members of the security forces queued up at schools across Baghdad and around the country as polling stations opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT), leaving with the traditional purple ink-stained finger indicating they had cast their vote. The increasing attacks on voting centers by militants who seek to undermine the vote have led to fears that the country is slipping into all-out conflict.