Nazia Azizi, a 40-year-old housewife, was first in line at a school in eastern Kabul.
“I have suffered so much from the fighting and I want prosperity and security in Afghanistan. That is why I have come here to cast my vote,” she said.
“I hope that the votes that we are casting will be counted and that there will be no fraud in this election.”
The militants have vowed to disrupt the balloting by targeting polling centers and election workers. High-profile attacks in the heart of Kabul in the weeks ahead of voting were clearly designed to show they are capable of striking even in highly secured areas.
The Taliban's bloody campaign underlines the stakes of the election. If turnout is high even in dangerous areas and the Afghans are able to hold a successful vote, that could undermine the Taliban's appeal.
The race is also the first for Afghans in which the outcome is uncertain. Three men are considered top contenders—a major shift from past elections dominated by Karzai. None is expected to get a majority needed to secure a win outright, so a runoff between the top two vote getters is widely expected.
There do not appear to be major policy differences toward the West between the front-runners—Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's top rival in the last election; Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, an academic and former World Bank official; and Zalmai Rassoul, a former foreign minister.
All have promised to sign a security agreement with the United States that will allow thousands of foreign troops to remain in the country after 2014 -- which Karzai has refused to do.
