Preliminary results in Afghanistan's historic elections are due to be announced amid allegations of fraud and concerns that Taliban intimidation deterred voters.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is due to give an early indication of results and turnout, with some critics questioning whether the sacrifices by British troops had been enough to persuade voters it was safe to exercise their democratic right.
Some reports have suggested that turnout in Helmand province - where most UK forces are based - was as low as 5-10%.
But one Western official said an "intelligent guess" would put the figure in the region of 20-35%.
Either way, this would be a significant fall from the 68% turnout recorded in the 2004 presidential election, when the province was much more peaceful.
A low turnout in Helmand could damage President Hamid Karzai's hopes of reaching the 50% proportion of support he needs to avoid a second round of voting.
Mr Karzai enjoys strong support among his fellow Pashtuns in the province.
In 2004 he received 262,940 votes - or 90.2% of the total of 294,086 votes cast - in Helmand.
The president's campaign has already claimed outright victory in this year's contest, as has his main rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.
The ballot is the first Afghan-led election for more than 30 years - previous contests in 2004 and 2005 were run by the UN - although the international community is providing considerable support.
