KABUL - With just four days until Afghans head to the polls for the presidential runoff, Abdul Wahab Wardak, the commander of the Afghan Air Force, confirmed on Tuesday that remote and insecure districts around the country have already received the majority of their election materials thanks to the use of helicopters.
This year's election process, in addition to being the first democratic transition of power in Afghanistan's history, has provided a critical litmus test for the Afghan security forces, which have taken on nearly all operational responsibilities around the country in preparation for the NATO coalition's withdraw in December.
The Afghan forces have been charged with helping the Independent Election Commission (IEC) get critical materials for this year's election, including ballots and result sheets, to polling centers around the country. But security forces have taken the lead when it comes to polling facilities in more isolated and insecure locations. According to officials, there are a total of 62 polling sites that fall in such areas.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul, Mr. Wardak assured the transferring of election materials would be fully completed on Wednesday, once sites in eastern Afghanistan have been stocked. He added that the process so far has been entirely conducted by Afghan forces, without any dependence on the NATO coalition, which was heavily involved in preparations for the 2009 election.
"Right now, we have helicopters in 10 provinces and we have begun transferring materials in six zones, of which the north, south and west have been completed," Mr. Wardak said on Tuesday.
Although concerns have been raised about the Afghan forces' capabilities and quality of equipment, especially regarding the Air Force, the use of helicopters in transferring critical election materials to remote and restive areas around the country during the runoff joins a growing body of progress markers that all together suggest Afghanistan's armed services are increasingly able to meet the challenges set before them.
Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi joined Wardak on Tuesday in expressing confidence in the Afghan forces' security precautions for the June 14 Election Day. "There are regular patrols in every part of Afghanistan and they are on alert to respond to any threats in any part of the country," Gen. Azimi said.
On Monday, the MoD announced that 195,000 additional Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were deployed to different regions of the country for special security preparations related to the election. In total, there are nearly 400,000 active members of the Afghan security forces.
The Afghan forces were praised by leaders inside and outside of Afghanistan in the wake of the first round on April 5, which went remarkably smoothly despite a wave of Taliban violence in the weeks leading up to it.
Militants have denounced this year's process and made some veiled, some overt threats to anyone who participates in it. So far, however, attempts to derail preparations, scare voters away from the polls and assassinate candidates have proven unsuccessful. (Tolonews)