Forces ready to support elections
 By Elaine Wilson , American Forces Press Service
  100917_elections
 WASHINGTON (Sept. 15, 2010) —     Coalition forces are supporting Afghan forces’  efforts to bolster security in the days preceding parliamentary  elections, and they stand ready to assist with security efforts when the  voting gets under way Sept. 18, a U.S. commander in Afghanistan said  today. “[The International Security Assistance Force] will be there to  support and ensure that a fair and transparent election occurs and this  is a strong step forward for the people of Afghanistan,” Army Col. James  H. Johnson, commander of Task Force Bayonet and the 173rd Airborne  Brigade Combat Team, told Pentagon reporters via a video teleconference  from Afghanistan. Johnson was accompanied at the briefing by Gov.  Mohammad Halim of Afghanistan’s Wardak province, and Col. Aref Alzaben  of the Jordanian army, commander of Task Force Nashmi. As Task Force  Bayonet commander, Johnson oversees 4,900 personnel in eastern  Afghanistan’s Logar and Wardak provinces. In Wardak, Afghan  National Police will guard 399 polling sites, supported by coalition  forces, as the Afghan-led elections get under way, Fadai said. Of  the hundreds of polling sites across Wardak and Logar provinces, only  10 sites will remain closed Sept. 18, Johnson said. But he added that  the closure is more a result of logistics and voter registration numbers  than security concerns. “We’ve made every effort possible to  ensure the voting base knows where their polling sites are, and the  security plan is already in motion,” he said. An important effort  has taken place during the rehearsal and planning stages, Johnson said.  Following rehearsals, Afghan security leaders have appeared on 13 radio  stations scattered across Logar and Wardak provinces to inform the  public about actions security and governance leaders are taking to  ensure security. This effort ensures that the people will have  confidence that they can move to their polling sites and participate in  the parliamentary elections as they desire, Johnson said. The  elections are a sign of progress for the Afghan people, the governor  noted, with the Afghans electing their members and their representatives  instead of “bullets to ballots.” Johnson also touched on the  security condition in Wardak. The aim is to expand the security and  prosperity that exists in the Afghan capital of Kabul and move it  through the districts from north to south, he said, with a focus on  Highway 1, which runs from Kabul to Kandahar and is a major thoroughfare  for commerce. “We do still have threats along that highway,” he  acknowledged, including Taliban forces and private security companies  that are engaged by local people. Johnson praised the efforts of  Wardak’s governor, who banned several companies and also took measures  to control movement on the highway. This has improved security and is  enabling prosperity to move south, he said. Forces are making  progress daily, the colonel said. However, he added, “as we make greater  progress, the enemy will continue to make greater effort to disrupt  that security.” Afghan army and police capacity is growing daily,  and the forces are gaining the trust of the Afghan people, the governor  added. Some security issues do exist, he added, and will take time to  resolve. “We can’t fix the problems of 30 years, or more than  that, in seven or eight years,” he said. “We have to be patient. We are  making progress.”