NATO officials in Afghanistan have urged the government to plan for parliamentary elections to take place soon to ensure there are enough troops to provide security.
NATO's top civilian representative for Afghanistan, Hikmet Cetin, says the elections must take place by early July or risk conflicting with the next rotation of troops in the 8,000-strong International Security Assistance Force ISAF.
Mr. Cetin says if elections are not held by then, it would be better to postpone voting until September.
Turkey took control of ISAF Sunday from a French commander during a ceremony in Kabul. It is the second six-month command for Turkey since the force was established after the U.S.-led overthrow of the Taleban in late 2001.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
