Despite Taliban’s repeated threats, Afghans lined up at polling stations on Saturday at 7 a.m. to cast their votes in the fourth Afghan presidential elections since the ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001.

Polling centers are operating under heavy security.

Presidential candidates including Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah voted in different polling centers in Kabul.

More than 9.6 million voters registered with the Independent Election.

However, low voter turnout was reported from different provinces across the country.

On Saturday afternoon, Afghanistan’s Independent Elections Commission (IEC) extended the voting time for two hours – until 5 p.m. – to draw more participation and address technical issues.

The preliminary results is scheduled to be announced on Oct. 19 and final ones on Nov. 7.