Security Concerns as Afghanistan Elections Approach

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Afghanistan's parliamentary elections are scheduled for September 18.  Just as security concerns were paramount for both Iraq's National Assembly elections and for the coming vote on its constitution, so too is this a large issue for the Afghanistan elections.  The UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) provides an excellent overview (reprinted at the Reuters website) of the security concerns.  There are three major levels of threat:  national and international forces and electoral bodies, candidates and voters.

Thus far, most of the recent violence by extremist groups in Afghanistan has targeted pro-government and international forces.  Aside from escalating attacks on military forces, at least four election workers have been killed since preparations for the upcoming elections began this spring.  There have also been attacks on candidates.  This Saturday, for example, parliamentary candidate Haji Atiqullah was killed in the Uruzgan province.  The Afghan-UN Joint Electoral Management Body has said that at least three other candidates have been killed since preparations for the elections began.  IRIN reports that there have also been other attacks on candidates and attempts at intimidation:

In the run-up to the polls, candidates have been attacked when out electioneering. In one case, a woman from the southern city of Kandahar was shot at after receiving threatening phone calls warning her not to make remarks against the Mujahideen, or holy fighters.  In another incident, the home and car of a candidate who edits a secular newspaper known for being critical of Jihadi fighters, were firebombed.

Although the Taliban has condemned the election and warned citizens not to take part, a spokesman purporting to represent the group announced this month that the Taliban doesn't plan to attack polling stations on election day.  Not everybody takes the Taliban at their word.  Lt. Col. Cristoni Riccardo, spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, commented, "We don't trust this [Taliban statement] because they have lied about several other issues in the past."

In an attempt to ensure the polls' security, American forces have stepped up their offensive against the Taliban in recent weeks.  The U.S. military claims to have killed over 100 militants in recent weeks, including today's killing of a suspected Taliban commander and nine other rebels.

While the Taliban almost certainly won't be able to cause a major disruption to the country's elections, this situation deserves our attention.

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