Afghans voted in national assembly and provincial elections on Sunday for the first time in decades, an event President Hamid Karzai hailed as a defining moment in the nation's struggle to rebuild after years of conflict. But the threat of violence by the Taliban failed to deter many voters, who relished the chance to elect parliamentarians and councillors for the first time since 1969. "I'm so happy, I couldn't sleep last night and was watching the clock to come out to vote," said Qari Salahuddin, 21, at a polling station in the eastern city of Jalalabad. About 12.5 million Afghans are registed to vote in the $159 million, U.N.-organised polls for Hundreds of people queued to vote in the southern city of Kandahar, the Taliban's birthplace and the scene of frequent attacks. Voters, including women in cover-all burqas, were searched before entering polling stations and workers pasted up signs saying weapons were not allowed. Police stood guard on roofs outside polling stations. Razia Sediqi was the first woman to cast her vote at a polling station in Jalalabad. "I'm very happy to be voting today," she said. "I don't think there will be any problems."a lower house of parliament and councils in all 34 provinces.