There are several reasons Afghan officials are struggling to determine how people voted in the presidential election last week - possible fraud, misplaced biometric data and the country's vast geography.
But one factor has complicated the effort more than any other: the Taliban's tactic of destroying cellphone towers.
The destruction of the towers prevented voting officials from communicating with election workers, while instigating fear and intimidation.
The Taliban have sought support in the rural hamlets and towns that harbor militants, even as they fight the government in Kabul. The cellphone tower strategy augments the group's more traditional, and deadly, forms of insurgency. There were scores of attacks on election targets Saturday.
Four days after the vote, officials were still struggling to determine how many people had turned out, although initial figures put the number around 2 million, a historic low.