KABUL  -- Millions of Afghan voters cast their ballots on Saturday for long-delayed parliamentary elections in the militancy-plagued country amid reports of security threats and irregularities.

The polling, according to the Independent Election Commission (IEC), started at 7:00 am local time and will continue until 4:00 pm local time.

The voting, according to the IEC, continued smoothly as of midday amid tight security.

The IEC is likely to extend the voting time as scores of polling centers opened later than the expected time in the morning.