Spotting Xinhua correspondents, a middle-aged Iraqi instinctively masked his face to dodge any media spotlight and marched toward a voting center in western Baghdad.

Voters in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad have declined toappear on newspapers, fearing that extremists could trace them downand have their pledged revenge unleashed.

More than 10 suicide bombers blew themselves up at pollingstations across Iraq on Sunday, killing about 30 people, includingqueuing voters and policemen who guarded the voting centers.

"Four innocent people were killed nearby this morning," saidAsayer Ali, a captain guarding a polling center in Mansourneighborhood of Baghdad which was earlier hit by a suicide attack.

"Many voters saw the blood stains and human parts that dottedthe site, but they chose to go ahead to the voting center," saidAsayer.

In a dark classroom used as a sub-station, electoral commissionstaff were using emergency lamps to light the room during powerblackout, a frequent trouble in the area.

Already familiar with the sudden power cutoff in their dailylife, voters, under the guidance of an instructor, went orderlythrough the procedures -- having their identities verified,receiving a pair of ballots, marking the votes, dipping a fingerinto the indelible ink and plunking the ballots.

"This is the happiest moment in my life," said Muhani Saed, 57,who had just cast his vote in the plastic box watched by organizersand an independent Iraqi supervisor.

Saed had walked five kilometers from his residence to thepolling station and had to walk all the way back home since carswere banned in streets on Sunday to ward off car bomb attacks.

"I heard explosions and gunfires on my way here, but I didn'treturn because I think voting is my duty and this is the only waythrough which I can fight the terrorists," he said, showing hisstained finger.

Sunday's nation-wide elections started at 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT),right after the sunrise in Iraq, according to the IndependentElectoral Commission.

Forty minutes before the official closing time of 5:00 p.m.(1400 GMT), voters were still seen filing in.

"My husband came here this morning only to see a suicide attack.That's why I would rather wait until the situation calms down,"said a middle-aged woman who identified herself as Hadith.

Asked if she thought the voting place was secure now, she didnot hesitate to say "no."

"But I have to catch the time to vote or I will miss thishistoric chance," she added. "I have been waiting for this momentfor the past 35 years."

Raad Rahim, a poll worker in a Baghdad voting center, smiledconfidently when asked about the estimated turnout in theneighborhood.

"I can't say it for sure now, but I think it must be somewherebetween 50 and 70 percent," said Rahim, his face lit up by faintcandle light.

"Our work will be finished in half an hour and luckily we arestill safe," said Captain Asayer, who has been guarding the centerfor six days.

When asked what he thought about the 30 deaths in a series ofattacks on the election day, Asyer said it is reasonable to callthe one-day polls a victory despite some deadly incidents.

"It is a victory. The casualty is low. We always know democracyis something we have to pay for," he said.