Caption: Iraqi police show of their ink-stained index fingers – proof that they visited the polls to cast their ballot in Iraq’s historic parliamentary elections Sunday – while manning one of dozens of remaining checkpoints throughout the city of Najaf the day after elections. Lasting 72 hours, the purple ink was used by voting officials to prevent citizens from voting more than once. After weeks of training Iraqi Security Forces, the Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) stood down their patrols for Sunday’s historic elections after the top Marine commander here determined the night before that the city was in good hands with local police and soldiers. According to various reports, nearly 85-percent of Najaf's 430,000 eligible voters visited the polls to cast their ballot. “People were very excited about voting. I could not sleep the night before. I couldn’t wait to vote,” said Iraqi Police Officer Warrant Officer Jasem Mohammad, 38, displaying his purple ink-stained index finger. “It’s the first time we have a democracy – in all of Middle East.” For the 2,200 some Marines assigned to An Najaf and Karbala Provinces, Sunday’s elections served as the culminating event to nine months of hard work; a final “mission completed” before they begin departing Iraq to return to their home base at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Photo by: Staff Sgt. Jim Goodwin

Source: http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200521144034

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