U.S. Embassy, Afghanistan Update

Update

The focus of the United States and its coalition partners continues to be reconstruction, elections and Disarmament, Demobilization, and Re-integration (DDR). The facts below list progress made in Afghanistan on several fronts over the last month.

Elections & Voter Registration

-- To date over 10.6 million Afghans have registered to vote -- 41 percent of them are women.

-- The presidential election campaign season officially opened September 7.

Education

-- More than 4.8 million children are enrolled in schools throughout the country, the largest number in the history of Afghanistan.

-- 500,000 children are expected to return to the warm-weather school locations this September in the south and east.

Afghan National Army (ANA)

-- The ANA has 13,500 soldiers. There are another 3,000 currently being trained.

Afghan National Police

-- The Afghan National Police has 29,275 police officers (trained by the United States and Germany).

Disarmament, Demobilization, and Re-integration (DDR)

-- 14,665 Afghan Militia Forces have been disarmed since April.

-- 12,720 of those soldiers are about to begin the reintegration program.

Heavy Weapons Cantonment

-- Heavy weapons are now completely cantoned in Kabul.

-- Cantonment continues in Gardez, Mazar, and Jalalabad and will begin in Konduz today (September 12).

Infrastructure

-- Work began on the Kandahar to Tirin Kowt Road. The road will be complete at the end of 2005.


Refugee & IDP return

-- Over 600,000 refugees and internally displaced persons have returned to their homes since January 2004.