An Iraqi policeman inspects the site of a suicide attack at a polling center in Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, April 28, 2014.
More Than 50 Killed as Iraq's Security Forces Vote in Election
More than 50 people were killed in a series of suicide bombings as members of Iraq's security forces began voting in the country's first election since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in late 2011.
Attackers wearing police uniforms struck polling centers around Baghdad and north of the city, while roadside bombs targeted military and police convoys, leaving dozens injured.
In the deadliest attack, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive at a Kurdish political gathering in the town of Khanaqin, northeast of the capital, killing 30 people, and leaving more than 50 others wounded. The group was watching video of ailing Iraqi President Jalal Talabani cast his vote in Germany where he has been undergoing medical treatment.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni militant groups have previously targeted security forces and members of the nation's Shi'ite majority.
Early voting began Monday for those unable to cast their votes in Wednesday's
An Iraqi policeman casts his vote into a ballot box during early voting for the parliamentary election in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, April 28, 2014.
parliamentary elections, including security forces, hospital and prison staff, as well as patients and inmates.
Analysts say voters will likely cast ballots along sectarian and ethnic lines with no single party expected to win a majority. Some information for this report contributed by Reuters.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.
