Ho, Nov. 23 GNA - Lieutenant Colonel Abass Seidu, Commanding Officer= of the 66 Artillery Regiment, Ho, has assured the civilian population of the=

military's friendliness and protection.

He was addressing a forum of officers, heads of departments and the media in Ho on Military-Civilian relations as part of the week-long Armed=

Forces' Community Relations Celebrations.

Lt. Col. Seidu explained that the military is a multi-disciplinary institution, which apart from ensuring national security, assists nationa= l development efforts in the areas of civil engineering and construction, health care, education, disaster management and agriculture among others. Lieutenant Colonel Seidu said the regiment is currently engaged in internal security operations at Aflao, Hohoe, Kadjebi and Kete Krachi. He, therefore, appealed to the civilian population to see the milita= ry as their allies rather than as an enemy institution.

DCOP David Ampah-Bennin, Volta Regional Police Commander, urged the media to maintain the existing cordial relations with the military and ot= her security agencies because they need each other to secure peace and nation= al security. "The media should always contact security officers on any issues before going public," he added.