Corruption in Police Casts Shadow on Afghanistan

(Thumbnail image: The Telegraph)

“Another grim milestone in the war against terror, as five British soldiers are killed in a single incident in Afghanistan.  'Our initial understanding of what went on, is that an individual Afghan national policeman, possibly acting in conjunction with one other started firing inside the checkpoint before fleeing from the scene.’” (ITN)

The latest attack, believed to have been carried out by Afghanistan National Police, has media sources examining corruption among Afghan police and military forces, prompting questions over the exit strategy in Afghanistan.  

We look at perspectives from ITN, MSNBC, BBC, CTV and CNN exploring reasons for the corruption.

First, Canada’s CTV talked to Afghan soldiers. They say it’s not exactly a lucrative decision for them to fight for their country instead of the Taliban.

“The soldiers we talked to said they joined the army to serve their country. They get $120 a month and they claim the Taliban pays twice that.”

ITN says it’s not too difficult for anyone, corrupt or not, to get into the Afghan police force either.

"British commanders work on the assumption that some of these men may be Taliban infiltrators. There is huge pressure from the British and U.S. governments to recruit police more quickly, so vetting and background checks are sacrificed.”

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow says the reason for police corruption in Afghanistan might be beyond money or the ability to join. She says Afghan citizens may just not want any outside influence.

“Here’s one issue. What if those local forces want to defend their country from, us, or from their own government that they don’t really see as legitimate?”

The British and U.S. exit strategy is to eventually hand off security and peace keeping duties to Afghan police and military forces.  With the current level of corruption, that could prove to be difficult.  However, British Defense Minister Bill Rammell warns the BBC that removing U.S. and British forces prematurely would only make things worse.

“Were we to withdraw before the Afghans can secure the situation for themselves, you would see massive instability, you would see a return of the Taliban and you would see the recreation of that terrorist capability. Making the situation not only in Afghanistan, but of the wider world much more dangerous, but also making the situation in Pakistan even more unstable.”

CNN reports that inadequate training may also play a role in the perceived weakness of the Afghan police force.

“The 82nd airborne does what it can, but they aren’t experts in evidence collection or investigation.  We don’t have the skill set initially to be able to mentor how to run a police station.”

So what do you think? How should British and U.S. forces combat corruption and will this affect the exit strategy?