Friday
Aug142009
Afghanistan Will Combat Taliban Scare Tactics To Ensure Secure Elections, Says Afghan Media Figure
Friday, August 14, 2009 at 4:09PM
By Mariko Lamb-Talk Radio News Service
Radio Free Afghanistan Director Akbar Ayazi, who will moderate Afghanistan’s presidential debate Sunday, said Friday that the Country intends to follow through with its presidential elections despite harsh security threats from Taliban forces.
According to Ayazi, Taliban forces have attempted to use scare tactics to prevent Afghan citizens from voting in the presidential elections next Thursday. “I even heard one Taliban threat that said ‘we will cut your finger off if you go to vote’,” Ayazi said. “These kinds of intimidations and the violence...really affect the elections and its results.”
Afghan police, the national army of Afghanistan, and the international community have committed up to 20,000 troops, mostly Americans, to help secure Afghanistan’s 27,000 polling stations.
“The Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defense, and the International Security Forces have...taken every possible measure that they have there. They have a plan they say they will be able to secure it,” he said.
Despite augmented security during the elections “I have doubts that every single poll will be secure and people will go with very free will and without fear,” Ayazi said.
“We will see what the outcome will be despite all these security problems,” he added. “I’m hoping that the security will be good,” he said, noting that regardless of his fears, he is confident that the combined Afghan and international forces will give "100% to secure the elections.”
Radio Free Afghanistan Director Akbar Ayazi, who will moderate Afghanistan’s presidential debate Sunday, said Friday that the Country intends to follow through with its presidential elections despite harsh security threats from Taliban forces.
According to Ayazi, Taliban forces have attempted to use scare tactics to prevent Afghan citizens from voting in the presidential elections next Thursday. “I even heard one Taliban threat that said ‘we will cut your finger off if you go to vote’,” Ayazi said. “These kinds of intimidations and the violence...really affect the elections and its results.”
Afghan police, the national army of Afghanistan, and the international community have committed up to 20,000 troops, mostly Americans, to help secure Afghanistan’s 27,000 polling stations.
“The Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defense, and the International Security Forces have...taken every possible measure that they have there. They have a plan they say they will be able to secure it,” he said.
Despite augmented security during the elections “I have doubts that every single poll will be secure and people will go with very free will and without fear,” Ayazi said.
“We will see what the outcome will be despite all these security problems,” he added. “I’m hoping that the security will be good,” he said, noting that regardless of his fears, he is confident that the combined Afghan and international forces will give "100% to secure the elections.”
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