U.S. stresses procedures in Afghan runoff

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Washington stressed the importance of moving forward with a runoff election in Afghanistan that adheres to national procedures and processes.

An investigation into the Aug. 20 presidential contest in Afghanistan uncovered widespread fraud, forcing a runoff between incumbent President Hamid Karzai and his closest rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.

The runoff is scheduled for Nov. 7. U.N. officials called on Afghanistan to overhaul the staff of national election bodies to ensure the risk of fraud is lowered.

Abdullah, meanwhile, told reporters Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission chief Azizullah Lodin is aligned with Karzai and has no credibility, CNN reported.

Ian Kelly, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, downplayed the row as largely an Afghan issue, stressing the importance of moving ahead in the spirit of forming a legitimate government in Kabul.

"What we're focused on is making sure that the process is ... that everyone abides by the various procedures and processes that are laid out in Afghan law," he said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., told the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday that committing more U.S. troops to the war was dependent largely on the abilities of the Afghans.

"Deploying additional troops won't result in sustainable gains if the Afghan security, civilian and governance capacity isn't there," he said.