EU’s Afghan police mission ‘failing’ in building up civilian policing capability: Report
By ANIThursday, February 17, 2011
LONDON - A United Kingdom parliamentary committee has said that the European Union (EU)’s police mission to Afghanistan is “failing” and the timetable for withdrawing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led troops in the country is at risk.
According to the BBC, the report by members of the House of Lords said that high levels of illiteracy, desertion and corruption plagued the Afghan National Police.
The EU deployment began in 2007, but the Lords committee says that it never reached the target of 400 trainers.
“We have huge concerns about this mission. It is failing in its stated purpose of building up a civilian policing capability,” the committee’s chairman Lord Teverson said.
“What the Afghan people need is a police force that can relate to their lives, that can investigate crimes and bring cases to court,” he added.
The NATO-led troops - International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) - aim to hand over to Afghan security forces in phases, so that all international combat troops can pull out by the end of 2014.
However, the deficiencies in the Afghan police threaten that timetable, the report warned.
The report also urges the EU to co-operate closely with the NATO forces. (ANI)
