20,000 Afghan troops by next June

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 29 (UPI) -- Afghan and U.S.-led coalition officials plan to train 20,000 troops for the Afghan National Army by June 2005.

Announcing this decision, the Combined Forces Command and the Afghan Ministry of Defense said Saturday they plan to double the training and production of Afghan Army troops.

Afghan troops are trained at the Kabul Military Training Center, which also is training units for deployment across Afghanistan to provide security for voter registration and elections.

The Afghan government plans to hold its first elections in September, but pro-Taliban and al-Qaida forces are opposing the electoral process and are threatening people with violence to prevent them from voting.