Vote counting is underway in Afghanistan, after millions of people braved the threat of terrorist attacks to cast ballots in Saturday's presidential election.

One official says the process has already been hit by delays, but preliminary results will be announced around October 19.

There were a series of attacks across the country on voting day, after the Taliban warned it would try to derail the election. The Interior Ministry says nine people were killed and more than 100 wounded.

Security was tight, with more than 70,000 military and police personnel deployed at polling stations. A spokesperson for the election commission told NHK the number of attacks was smaller than expected, and the election unfolded smoothly as a whole.

nhk