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            Report: Afghanistan 'Far From Ready' for 2014 Transition

   by VOA News

   The International Crisis Group said the Afghan government a "far from
   ready" to assume security responsibility when U.S. and NATO forces
   withdraw in 2014.
   The non-profit group said the government in Kabul could collapse,
   especially if the next round of the country's elections is fraudulent.
   In 2009 and 2010, the country suffered chaotic presidential and
   parliamentary polls.
   An [1]ICG report published Monday said in the current environment
   prospects for clean elections and a smooth transition of power are
   slim.  It also said it expects political cohesion in the capital to
   decline as foreign aid and investment goes down with the approach of
   the 2014 drawdown.
   The Brussels-based group recommended the international community have a
   contingency plan to ensure adequate security for Afghanistan's 2014
   presidential campaign.  It also urged Afghan election officials and
   lawmakers to be transparent and settle election-process issues ahead of
   the polls.
   ICG's report followed a car bomb attack near a security forces office
   in southern Afghanistan, that killed two intelligence officers and
   wounded four civilians.
   Afghan civilians hit hard
   Separately, the outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red
   Cross in Afghanistan said the country's armed conflict has taken a turn
   for the worse for civilians.
   Reto Stocker is leaving Afghanistan after seven years in his current
   position.  In a news release, he deplored the continued lack of access
   to health care for civilians. He also said alongside the ill effects of
   the armed conflict, civilians are suffering from economic hardship, as
   well as severe weather and natural disasters.
   Despite the challenges, Stocker said his group has made some progress
   in raising its concerns with various parties in the conflict, who he
   said have shown a greater willingness to listen and follow certain
   recommendations.
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   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/report-afghanistan-far-from-ready-for
   -transition/1522479.html

References

   1. http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/afghanistan/236-afghanistan-the-long-hard-road-to-the-2014-transition.aspx
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/report-afghanistan-far-from-ready-for-transition/1522479.html