Afghan police gear to tackle security threat during elections

The first batch of Afghan police personnel finished their training programmes in Kabul, equipped with skills to tackle security threats during this year's presidential and provincial elections, the UN Afghanistan mission said.

The first batch of Afghan police personnel finished their training programmes in Kabul, equipped with skills to tackle security threats during this year's presidential and provincial elections, the UN Afghanistan mission said.

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Some 25 police officers have completed a two-day course in Kabul in the first phase of a programme that will train 350 officers in Herat, Kabul, Mazar and Kandahar, who will then pass on their skills to 35,000 officers across the country ahead of the 20 August polls.

The programme aims to prime the police officers to tackle security threats and provide voters with the confidence needed to come out in large numbers and cast their ballots without fear, a United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNMA), spokesperson told reporters in Kabul.

The elections support project of the UN Development Programme in Afghanistan (UNDP/ELECT), together with the European Union's Police Mission (EUPOL) and the Ministry of Interior, is training officers on the electoral process, Afghanistan's election law, international standards of elections and their role during the elections.