U.S. in New Afghan Security Push

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U.S. in New Afghan Security Push
Associated Press | February 15, 2008

KABUL, Afghanistan - The United States gave Afghan police 70,000 Kalashnikov rifles, 51,000 pistols and 3,500 vehicles last year, part of $2.5 billion in spending to upgrade the force.

Despite that influx of firepower, Taliban militants targeted police in dozens of attacks, killing at least 925 in 2007. Afghan police often work in small groups in remote and dangerous territory, where they are outnumbered, outgunned and overwhelmed by insurgents.

The lack of an effective training program for the police - a role first held by Germany - is often cited as one of the West's biggest failings since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban regime for harboring Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida bases.

Now the U.S. is rolling out a new training program that will see small teams of American Soldiers mentor and train police officers over the course of several months.

The U.S. general in charge sees the program, which broadly mirrors the model used to train police in Iraq, as a big step forward to move past the police force's lackluster reputation.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,162160,00.html?wh=wh