The papers, flown in on a giant Antonov transport plane, were the first to arrive of some 40 million that have been printed in Britain and Austria ahead of the Sept. 18 elections.

“The arrival of these ballot papers marks an important milestone in our plans to hold” the elections, said Bissmillah Bissmil, chairman of the UN-backed Joint Electoral Management Body. “It heralds the start of the huge logistical challenge that we face in transporting these ballot papers safely and securely across the whole of Afghanistan.”

From the capital, Kabul, the papers will be transported to polling stations by air and road. Donkeys will take them to more remote locations.

Organizers have had to contend not only with the country’s fractured infrastructure, but also with widespread violence by Taleban-led rebels intent on subverting the polls.

More than 800 people have been killed in fighting since March. The government has vowed the elections will take place on time despite the bloodshed.