Rome (AsiaNews/Agencies) Only four Afghans out ten 4.1 million people have registered: a formality that is essential to vote in the presidential election next September. This according to ambassador William Taylor, the State Department's Coordinator for Afghanistan, who was speaking at a conference on Afghan elections organised by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.
The information casts doubts over the credibility and the legitimacy of the results that would follow from the election. It would also worsen a situation already made more difficult by the allegations published by the British newspaper The Guardian claiming that some prisoners in US custody in Afghanistan have been tortured and humiliated during interrogation. The paper refers to five prisoners who died in detention, three of whom in "suspicious circumstances", whilst other survivors have told stories of torture and mistreatment. The statements witnesses made seem to be a reminder of what happened in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The paper claims this shows that US troops systematically use the same interrogation methods. As for the elections, Ambassador Taylor believes that despite difficulties Afghans wish to participate in the next presidential elections, the "first free elections in a generation." The impression is confirmed by the fact that, according to Taylor's data, about 100,000 Afghans are registering per day. The ambassador has reaffirmed that the goal of the U.S. is to guarantee both the full participation of the Afghan population in the September vote and the security necessary to a democratic and peaceful electoral process.
