Taliban Cut Off Fingers of Two Voters

The Taliban reportedly delivered on its threat to chop off the fingers of voters in Afghanistan: Insurgents in Kandahar province, which harbors a significant Taliban presence, attacked two men on election day, cutting off their ink-stained fingers, according to the head of the country's Free and Fair Election Foundation. Aside from this grisly act, international observers say that Thursday's balloting was generally positive and "in accordance with democratic principles," according to the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute. Some observers, however, are noting signs of fraud and irregularities, including stuffed ballot boxes, coersion of illiterate voters, and biased officials. That said, experts say it's too soon to determine whether the elections were a success. President Hamid Karzai's lead challenger is accusing him of rigging the vote.