KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S. Special Operations forces have suspended the training of some Afghan Local Police recruits while it double-checks the background of the current police force, following a rise in attacks against NATO troops by their Afghan counterparts, an official said Sunday.The order follows reports that more than 40 NATO troops were killed this year either by members of the Afghan security forces or by insurgents disguised as Afghan police or soldiers.
- "Current partnered operations have and will continue, even as we temporarily suspend training of about 1,000 new ALP recruits while revetting current members," said Col. Thomas Collins, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
- "While we have full trust and confidence in our Afghan partners, we believe this is a necessary step to validate our vetting process and ensure the quality indicative of Afghan Local Police."
- The 16,000 police officers who are being revetted are still conducting operations, Collins said. Afghan commandos and national army special forces have already been double-checked, he said.
- A statement from Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office said strict measures will be used to combat the problem. The press release said Sunday's meeting of the nation's security council focused on the attacks.
- Lt. Gen. Adrian Bradshaw, the deputy commander of ISAF, said some steps have already been taken to "defeat the insider threat." The measures include interviewing soldiers returning from leave, a new reporting system for threats, and improved training for counterintelligence agents, according to a news release from the British general.
U.S. Special Operations forces have been tasked with training Afghan Local Police as part of an effort to beef up Afghanistan's forces ahead of the American withdrawal, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014."This is a temporary suspension," said Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Seddiqi.
He said the suspension has been discussed with the ministry, but that "we would like to see the continuation of these training programs because they are very important."
Post a Comment