As the April elections near, security has been an issue at the forefront of many concerns. However, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are confident in their abilities to secure the elections, an assuredness supported by the NATO coalition.
While many have focused on the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement and the troop pullout in December as the major bellwethers of the ANSF and their future, the April elections are likely to prove a test in and of themselves.
Though much consternation has surrounded security preparations for the upcoming vote, security officials have constantly reassured election organizers and the public that sufficient security will be provided.
"We have prepared well and we are ready to face the enemy," an Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier named Khan Shireen told TOLOnews.
Previously, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) reported that some 400 polling sites faced serious threats and would likely be unopened on election day. But the IEC responded by establishing over 300 new centers to compensate for those out of reach.
Qadam Shah Shaheem, the Commander of the ANA"s 111th Battalion, said that every polling center in Kabul would be secure on election day.
"There is no insecure election site," he said confidently. "All the election sites that we have evaluated have no security problems."
Meanwhile, ISAF has also expressed confidence in the capacities of the ANSF, which took over operational responsibilities around the country for the first time in 2013.
"Give the performance of ANSF in 2013 and what we have seen today at the armored [tank] school, I think the ANSF are well equipped, well trained and prepared to secure the elections that are coming very shortly," ISAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Communication General Todd Balfe said.