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May 12, 2014

Observation Post Sterga 2 in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, which was opened in August 2013, was closed on May 10, 2014 marking an important phase in ending British combat operations in Afghanistan. All Nato troops will pull out of Afghanistan by December. AFP pic, May 12, 2014.A computer without a power cable, a spy camera with English instructions that no one can read, and water-logged accommodation life on the frontline can be a long series of setbacks and challenges for Afghan soldiers.

In the eastern district of Khogyani, the war against Taliban militants is a day-to-day struggle for control of fields and villages just outside Jalalabad, one of Afghanistan's biggest and most strategic cities.

At one post, six soldiers live in a flimsy wooden shack made of planks, plastic sheets and sandbags, on alert 24-hours a day for attack from the surrounding rebel-held mountains.

They dry their socks and clothes on a rope, and spend their days on guard duty, listening to radio messages and passing on information to other units in the area.

"Of course, we are proud of our job," Shapoor Ahmadzai, 27, told AFP. "We are here to serve our country, and we are hopeful and optimistic about the future.

"But this place is an absolute mess when it rains, water just comes into the room, so nobody can do his job, and we live in darkness when we don't have electricity."

Basic issues over equipment, living quarters, food supplies and vehicle maintenance are among the major problems facing the Afghan army as it fights a resilient enemy that controls swathes of the south and east of the country.

The 190,000 soldiers of the Afghan National Army (ANA) have largely taken over responsibility for the war against the Taliban after more than a decade in which well-equipped, well-trained Nato troops dominated the battlefield.

All 51,000 remaining Nato combat troops will pull out of the country by December.

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Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah (C) speaks with fellow candidate Zalmai Rassoul during a joint press conference in Kabul on May 11, 2014.

Full results from the April 5 election were released late last month, but the final declaration will include the outcome of weeks of deliberation over fraud complaints.

The preliminary results showed Abdullah secured 44.9 per cent of the first-round vote, with Ghani on 31.5 per cent.

As none of the eight candidates appear to have gained more than 50 per cent, a run-off between the two leading names is required as Afghanistan undergoes its first democratic transfer of power.

Noor Mohammad Noor, spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said it hoped to stick with the election timeline and publish the final results on Wednesday.

"If there is to be a run-off, we will announce the date on the same day," he told AFP.

Afghan officials and Kabul-based diplomats say June 14 has been pencilled in for the head-to-head election that will choose President Hamid Karzai's successor as US-led troops withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

On Monday, front-runner Abdullah received a major boost with the endorsement of third-placed Zalmai Rassoul, a close ally of Karzai.

Rassoul was seen as the favoured candidate of the outgoing president, but his own campaign gained little momentum and he took just 11.5 percent in the first round of voting.

Another costly, and potentially violent, election could be avoided by deal-making in the coming weeks, and Rassoul's support for Abdullah will increase pressure on Ghani to concede.

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Afghanistan Election Result to Trigger Tense Run-Off

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan started using its first ever satellite on Saturday, May 10, in a bid to boost its national broadcasting and telecommunications infrastructure as well as its international connectivity.

Afghanistan's telecommunications sector and a growing digital media industry are among the Afghan government's biggest achievements since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

The new satellite, AFGHANSAT 1, will support a wide range of services including broadcasting, mobile telephony and IP connectivity, officials said.

"We can say it is a historical move, because for the first time Afghanistan is renting a satellite," Amirzai Sangin, minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication said in Kabul as Afghanistan started to use the satellite.

The Afghan government has signed a multi-year deal with European satellite operator Eutelsat to deploy the in-orbit satellite, which the company said would provide full national coverage and extensive reach across Central Asia and the Middle East.

"We are renting this satellite for $4 million per year, and based on our calculations, we can earn $15 million annually from it," Sangin added.

The boom in Afghan media in the past 12 years is one of the most visible bright spots to foster a stable democracy, even as the NATO troops are preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan.

The country remains wracked by war with Taliban insurgents and mired in corruption and poverty.

Under the Taliban regime, Afghans had to go to neighboring Pakistan to make international phone calls, but today almost 90% of population have access to mobile services countrywide.

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Afghanistan uses first ever satellite

Afghanistan: Displaced by Taliban, Afghans build new life
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landslide crashed into a remote mountain village in northeast Afghanistan - Video