US report criticizes Afghan police training: Times

Washington, Dec 4: The US trained-police force in Afghanistan is largely incapable of carrying out routine law enforcement and managers of the 1.1 billion tollars training program could not say how many officers were actually on duty, The New York Times reported.

Citing a joint report by the Pentagon and State Department, the newspaper yesterday said program managers also could not account for thousands of trucks and other equipment issued to Afghan police units.

According to the newspaper, the government report concluded that no effective field training program had been established in Afghanistan, in part because of a slow, ineffectual start and understaffing.

The report, by the offices of the inspectors general at the Pentagon and the State Department, concluded that the official figure of 70,000 trained police officers was inflated, The Times said. The article also said the counting was reliable to some degree only where American advisers were present.

Considering the state of the police force, an estimated 600 million dollars per year would be needed indefinitely to sustain it, the newspaper quoted the report as saying.

American advisers also wold have to combat endemic corruption in the Afghan force, the newspaper said.

According to the article, the report was issued two weeks ago but was only now circulating among members of some congressional committees.

Howard Krongard, the State Department inspector general, acknowledged the seriousness of the report's criticisms, The Times said. But he told the newspaper that in the face of obstacles such as largely illiterate recruits, low pay and corruption, the program was ''generally well conceived and well executed.'' Krongard added that for the police force to be self-sustaining ''long-term US and international assistance and funding would be required at least beyond 2010.'' A spokesman for Krongard's office was not immediately available for comment.

Reuters