Bomb attacks in Baghdad have killed at least 14 people as some early voting took place in Iraq's parliamentary elections. Suicide bombers killed seven soldiers at two polling stations while seven civilians died in an attack at another. More than half a million members of the Iraqi armed forces were voting early to free them for security duties on the main polling day on Sunday. Gabriel Gatehouse sent this report from a polling station in Baghdad.

The police and the military have thrown everything they got to try to stop attackers from disrupting the poll. All leaves have been canceled and there will be around 200,000 personnel on duty in Baghdad alone.