Iraq in lockdown on eve of election

Baghdad: Iraq began on Saturday sealing its borders, halting air traffic and ordering overnight curfews in some of its largest cities on the eve of its nationwide provincial elections.

Other planned security measures included closing the southern city of Basra and ordering traffic bans across Baghdad. Hundreds of women, including teachers and civic workers, have been recruited to help search women voters after a rise in female suicide bombers last year.

More than 14,400 candidates are competing for 440 seats in 14 of the country's 18 provinces. The polls open on Saturday across Iraq at 7am and close at 5pm.

Results are not expected for several days. The northern city of Mosul's boundaries were closed on Friday morning to vehicles and a citywide curfew was scheduled to take effect several hours later, said Police officer Col. Safaa Abdul-Razzaq, spokesman for the joint operations command in the Ninevah province.