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Iraqi army and police troops, on Thursday, began voting in parliamentary elections, the country’s first since Baghdad declared that it had defeated Islamic State militants in late 2017.
No fewer than 943,000 security personnel are eligible to cast their ballots in the voting that began at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT).
Iraqis abroad, meanwhile, were casting their votes in diplomatic missions in 21 countries.
Iraqis at home are due to vote, on Saturday.
Nearly 7,000 candidates are vying for seats in the 329-strong parliament, which will later elect Iraq’s president and prime minister.
The polls are conducted as areas of Iraq still lie in ruins as a result of a three-year military campaign supported by the US against militants.
In December, Iraq declared victory over militants, having retaken all the territory captured by the extremists in 2014 and 2015.