Voter wounded in attack on polling center

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: One civilian on Saturday was wounded while he was entering a polling center in eastern Baghdad, according to a local security source. “The civilian was wounded while he was entering Sulaiman al-Khazaie polling center in Sadr city, eastern Baghdad, in an attack launched by gunmen from the top of a nearby building,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The center was immediately closed after the attack,” the source noted. Voters have been heading to polling stations in Baghdad and 13 other Iraqi provinces since 07:00 a.m. Saturday to elect their representatives in the country’s provincial councils amidst tight security measures. Over 15 million voters from 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces will participate in this election, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). Security personnel, prisoners sentenced to less than five years and hospital-bound patients cast early ballots in the special voting held on Wednesday (Jan. 28). SS (P) 1