The new commander of the international peacekeeping force for Kabul said today he was looking to strengthen cooperation with the Afghan police to boost security ahead of national elections next year.
German Lieutenant-General Norbert van Heyst told reporters he would aim for stepped up joint patrols as Afghanistan prepares a new constitution to be adopted at a Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, due before the year-end.
"Joint patrols with Afghan policemen, that has to be continued -- perhaps, from my point of view, it has to be improved," he told a news briefing.
General Heyst, who heads the 22-nation International Security Assistance Force, said ISAF would assist preparations for the constitutional Loya Jirga.
The first draft of the constitution, which will outline whether Afghanistan will have a presidential or parliamentary form of government, is expected soon. Once the constitution is adopted, the country is due to hold elections in June 2004.
Diplomats say the process of finalising the constitution could be controversial with hardline Islamists pushing for it to be based on Sharia, or Islamic law, and others calling for a more liberal, Western-style approach.
Security in Kabul has stabilised in recent months after a spate of incidents last year, including a car bombing in the centre of the city on September 5th that killed at least 26 people and wounded 150.