A woman is counting the votes in Herat in Afghanistan Sept. 20, 2005. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

Afghans carry ballot boxes to the vote counting center in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Sept. 20, 2005. (Xinhua photo)

    KABUL, Sept. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Vote counting has begun in three provinces of Afghanistan, Chairman of the UN-sponsored Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) said Tuesday.

    "Counting of the votes commenced in Herat, Kunduz and central Bamiyan province this morning while in the rest of the country it will begin at 11 a.m. local time," Bissmillah Bissmil said.

    However, counting in Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar in east Afghanistan, was delayed at least for hours due to a roadside bomb attack on a JEMB truck carrying ballot boxes Monday night.

    The vote counting process will last for 16 days while the final result will be announced on Oct. 22.

    Over 50 percent of some 12.5 million registered Afghans cast their votes in the landmark parliamentary elections to elect the members of the lower house and provincial councils on Sunday. Enditem