Defying Taliban threats, Afghans vote in droves

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    An Afghan man fills his ballot at a polling station in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 5, 2014. Afghan voters lined up for blocks at polling stations nationwide on Saturday, defying a threat of violence by the Taliban to cast ballots in what promises to be the nation's first democratic transfer of power. The vote will decide who will replace President Hamid Karzai, who is barred constitutionally from seeking a third term. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

    Millions of Afghans defied Taliban threats and rain Saturday, underscoring their enormous expectations from an election that comes as the country's wobbly government prepares to face down a ferocious insurgency largely on its own.

    With combat forces from the U.S.-led coalition winding down a 13-year presence and the mercurial Hamid Karzai stepping aside, the country's new leader will find an altered landscape as he replaces the only president Afghans have known since the Taliban were ousted in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP)

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