Troops leave Helmand to an uncertain future
Afghan forces in Helmand in the south-west of the country are struggling to provide security for Saturday's elections.
During fighting in the last few months, the police lost 400 men, their worst losses in the winter since the conflict began.
Qudratullah Naqshbandi, the head of the Independent Election Commission, says it will not be possible to open polling stations in a third of the province.
Much of the countryside in the north of Helmand is now in the hands of the Taliban.
David Loyn reports from Helmand.