US general visits forces providing election security; preps

(16 Sep 2005)

Agency Pool - APTN Clients Only
Laghman, 120 kilometres (74.5 miles) southwest of Kabul
1. Various of US forces patrolling to ensure security in area ahead of Sunday's elections
2. Afghan National Army patrol
3. Profile of US forces walking
4. US military vehicles drive past
5. US Humvee and soldier
6. Soldier using radio
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lieutenant Corporal Johnathon Brown, U.S. Marine Corps:
"Our concern is that the Taliban might try something to keep the elections from happening or postpone them. We are just here to make sure that everything goes as planned."
8. Tilt up Afghan Army soldier walking through bazaar
9. Various of US forces patrolling through town
10. US Marine lying un undergrowth with gun posied
11. US Marines patrolling
12. Various of Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, the US-led coalition commander in Afghanistan meeting local officials
13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, US Army:
"I think there is a lot of excitement out there about the election on Sunday."
14. Local Afghan official speaking
15. Leaders meeting
16. Tilt up Afghan National Army soldiers
17. Afghan soldiers posing with Lieutenant General Eikenberry

APTN
Maidan Shahr, Wardak Province - 50 kilometres (31 miles) west of Kabul
18. Trucks carrying election materials drive pass police standing in line
19. Police standing in line
20. Ballot boxes being loaded onto truck
21. Ballot boxes on ground
22. Various of ballot boxes being loaded onto truck
23. Various of Maidan Shahr town
24. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) Voxpop, Gul Alai, Resident:
"We will vote for a real Muslim who can serve our nation and government."
25. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) Voxpop, Lal Agha, Resident:
"We have passed through very difficult times. We are not afraid of anything. We will vote for who we like."
26. Various of shoppers in local vegetable bazaar
27. People and trucks on road

STORYLINE:

With militant attacks keeping tension high in Afghanistan ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections, the US-led coalition and Afghan forces have heightened security across the country on Friday.

In the latest violence, suspected Taliban militants killed three civilians in a bus bombing.

Also an election candidate was fatally shot, and a roadside bombing killed an interpreter for the U.S. military and wounded two American troops.

More than 1,200 people have been killed in the past six months.

About 30-thousand US-led Coalition and International Security Assistance Force (I-S-A-F) will be coordinating with 100-thousand Afghan forces to safeguard the polls against the Taliban militant threat.

In Laghman province, around 120 kilometres (74.5 miles) southwest of Kabul, U.S. forces conducted a joint patrol with members of the Afghan National Army.

Lance Corporal Johnathon Brown of the U.S. Marine Corps, who led the patrol, said they were concerned "the Taliban might try something to keep the elections from happening or postpone them."

A purported Taliban spokesman told the Associated Press that during the election, the Taliban would only attack areas where U.S.-led coalition forces were deployed.

He advised civilians to avoid such places but said the Taliban would not attack civilians going to vote.

Information from Hakimi in the past has sometimes proven exaggerated or untrue, and his exact tie to the Taliban leadership cannot be verified independently.

The commander of Coalition forces in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry visited U.S. Marines based in Laghman on Friday and later met local officials.






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