High Sunni turnout as Iraqis cast ballots

IRAQIS voted yesterday in one of the largest and freest elections in the Arab world, with strong turnout reported in Sunni areas and even a shortage of ballots in some precincts.

Several explosions rocked Baghdad throughout the day, but the level of violence was low.

The heavy participation in the parliamentary voting by the Sunnis, who had shunned balloting last January, bolstered US hopes of calming the insurgency enough to begin withdrawing its troops next year.