Afghan Police Force Ineffective

Can't they do anything right in the Mid-East?

The American-trained police force in Afghanistan is not effectively trained and is incapable of carrying out routine law enforcement duties, a U.S. government report found.

The joint report by the Pentagon and the State Department has been circulated to members of relevant congressional committees, The New York Times reported Sunday night on its Web site. State Department spokeswoman Janelle Hironimus and Pentagon spokesman Todd Vichan said Sunday night they could not comment on the report.

Managers of the $1.1 billion training program cannot say how many officers are actually on duty or where thousands of trucks and other equipment issued to the police force are now, said the report, issued by the inspector generals' offices at the Pentagon and the State Department.

The report said no effective field training program had been established in Afghanistan. Considering the current problems with the force, an estimated $600 million per year will be needed to sustain it, the report said.

Some of the problems in Afghanistan are similar to those experienced in Iraq, where inadequate training, too much reliance on private contractors for that training and lost equipment have plagued the formation of a reliable police force.

(courtesy link)