Afghan army points to problems with police

Dec. 17, 2009

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Afghan military officials point to an inadequate and corrupt police force as contributing to a rise in insurgent activity in the northern provinces.

Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahmani, who commands an Afghan army unit based in Mazar-e-Sharif, said his forces have secured parts of northern Afghanistan only to have the police fall to area insurgents.

"After a short time, the insurgents are able to retake the territory," he told the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.

Rahmani said the police are receiving kickbacks from insurgents operating in the area, blaming several officers for turning their weapons over to Taliban militants.

"The police and the (insurgents) are from the same area, they collude with each other," he told IWPR. "They could not do this in other provinces."

Local police officials, however, said maintaining security is difficult without adequate manpower.

Area residents, for their part, said Taliban leaders are taking advantage of the security situation by laying the groundwork for new operations against government forces.

Washington and its NATO allies stressed that local efforts and a capable military and police force were key to their strategy for the success of the revised war plan for Afghanistan.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2009/12/17/Afghan-army-points-to-problems-with-police/UPI-39941261089534/.