DHAKA: Iraqis are voting in the country's first parliamentary elections since the withdrawal of US troops three years ago.

Polling began at 07:00 local time (04:00 GMT) and closes at 18:00.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is hoping to win a third term in office amid a growing insurgency in the west of the country.

Iraq is experiencing its worst unrest since 2008, with 160 people killed in the last week alone, report the BBC.

More than 20 million Iraqis are eligible to vote, with almost 50,000 polling stations open across the country.

There is a heavy security presence in the capital, with military helicopters on patrol, says the BBC's Kevin Connolly in Baghdad.

An Iraqi policeman inspects the site of a suicide attack at a polling centre in Kirkuk, Iraq, 28 April 2014 Several polling centres were hit by bomb attacks on Monday

The government has temporarily closed the airport and the main roads in and out of the city in an attempt to reassure voters, our correspondent adds.

While it is difficult to predict the outcome of the poll, Mr Maliki is still expected to be a pivotal figure in the coalition-building process which will follow the election.

His State of Law alliance, a Shia coalition, has largely avoided the fragmentation seen by other political blocs since the last election.

BDST: 1118 HRS, APR 30, 2014