The top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen Austin Scott Miller, in an interview on Monday credited the coordination across Afghan civilian and military leadership with the relative security success of the September 28 presidential election.

Miller’s overall assessment was that “the security forces performed very, very well” and he congratulated Afghans who “under the threat of violence came out and voted.”

He said such coordination between the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior and the National Directorate of Security on the election day was unprecedented in the last four elections.

“What was perhaps most impressive to me was I watched the different security pillars, along with the civil authorities, become well-integrated” thus ensuring an environment where despite threats it was safe to vote. 

Miller said he has watched the elections in 2009, the 2014 elections and last year’s parliamentary elections and that this year’s elections were in some cases similar to the previous election days, but the level of integration was new: “I think what set it apart was, I watched the integration of your security leadership, in this case Minister Khalid, Minister Andarabi and Director of the NDS Zia Saraj. They worked together, they shared resources across, and their example spreads down to the provincial level and to the local levels.” 

The US general said that so far he has not received an order for a reduction of troops. 

“My message to the people of Afghanistan is this violence has been going on for forty years and the Afghan people deserve for this violence to stop. This is going to take different sides talking to one another. I do believe that a political settlement is not only required but I believe that peace is the will of the people and if we listen to the people, that is the direction we are to be going,” Gen. Miller added.