In pictures: Afghan polls

Burqa-clad Afghan women show their identification cards in Kandahar province on 20/08/09

Amid tight security, millions of Afghans voted in the country's second presidential election since the fall of the Taliban.

In Kabul, some men were already waiting to cast their vote when polling stations opened at 0700. But in some other areas there was less enthusiasm, after the Taliban urged a boycott of the poll.

Afghan woman holds her baby while casting her vote in Kabul on 20/08/09

Many voters spoke of their hope that the new president would bring peace and security to the country. But others are disillusioned by enduring violence and corruption.

Voters searched at a polling station in Lublan, southern Afghanistan on 20/08/09

And the presence of some 300,000 Afghan and international troops across the country was a sign of the security concerns surrounding the election.

Afghan woman inks her finger to cast her vote in Kandahar province on 20/08/09

The Taliban vowed to disrupt the elections, warning that they would cut off the ink-stained fingers of those who had voted.

An Afghan policeman next to a bloodstain left by an alleged militant involved in a gun battle with police in Kabul on Thursday

There were multiple violent incidents across the country. This police officer is at the scene of a shoot-out in Kabul that resulted in the deaths of two militants.

An Afghan girl waits with her mother at a polling station on Thursday in Kabul

But it seemed fears of a massive surge in violence had not materialised - a fact celebrated by incumbent President Hamid Karzai. Election officials also appeared pleased with the turnout.

President Hamid Karzai votes at a school in Kabul

Mr Karzai, who is running for a second term in office, had urged Afghans to turn out in large numbers in defiance of the insurgents. "Vote. No violence," he said.