Under shadow of violence, Afghans vote in landmark election --- "I call on the people of Afghanistan to prove to the enemies of Afghanistan that nothing can stop them," Yousaf Nuristani, chairman of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said after he had cast his own vote as a polling station opened in Kabul. -- About 12 million are eligible to vote, and there are eight candidates, with former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmay Rassoul, and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani the favorites. --- More than 350,000 Afghan troops were on duty, guarding against attacks on polling stations and voters. The capital, Kabul, has been sealed off from the rest of the country by rings of roadblocks and checkpoints. - More, Hamid Shalizi and Jessica Donati, at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/05/us-afghanistan-election-idUSBREA331N920140405