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Afghan police recruits' training halted after attacks on Nato | Afghan police recruits' training halted after attacks on Nato |
(30 minutes later) | |
The US says it is suspending training for new recruits to the Afghan local police (ALP) while checks are carried out on possible ties to the Taliban. | |
The move follows a series of incidents in which foreign troops have been killed by Afghan soldiers or policemen. | The move follows a series of incidents in which foreign troops have been killed by Afghan soldiers or policemen. |
The suspension of training - which only applies to new ALP recruits - will allow US special operations forces to "re-vet" current ALP forces. | |
US special forces currently have around 1,000 Afghan local police trainees. | US special forces currently have around 1,000 Afghan local police trainees. |
The suspension of training will be temporary, according to a spokesman for the Nato-led Isaf force, with the aim of making an existing eight-step vetting programme more rigorous. | |
The number of counter-intelligence teams will be increased and there will be greater vetting when Afghan soldiers return from leave. | |
The sale of Afghan army and police uniforms will be made illegal. | |
Military guidelines on vetting have sometimes not been followed in the past for fear of slowing the growth of the Afghan security forces, officials told the Washington Post. | Military guidelines on vetting have sometimes not been followed in the past for fear of slowing the growth of the Afghan security forces, officials told the Washington Post. |
Operations by forces already trained would continue, as would the recruitment of new trainees, US Special Operations Forces spokesman Lt Col John Harrell told the Associated Press. | |
The Afghan army is unaffected by the suspension. The training of Afghan special forces will also continue. | |
'Green-on-blue' attacks | |
The ALP is a relatively new force, introduced to improve security in some of the most remote parts of the country, the BBC's Quentin Somerville in Kabul reports. | |
The force has been accused of human rights abuses, our correspondent adds. | |
Overnight it emerged that an ALP commander in Kunduz province had shot dead nine civilians and injured eight others, including women and children. | |
On Wednesday, three Australian soldiers were killed by a man in Afghan army uniform in Uruzgan province. | On Wednesday, three Australian soldiers were killed by a man in Afghan army uniform in Uruzgan province. |
Currently, approximately 130,000 Nato troops are fighting insurgents in Afghanistan alongside 350,000 Afghans. | Currently, approximately 130,000 Nato troops are fighting insurgents in Afghanistan alongside 350,000 Afghans. |
Some 45 coalition troops have died in more than 30 "green-on-blue" attacks this year, at least 15 of them in August alone. | |
The term refers to the colour-coding systems used by the US military - Nato forces are "blue" and Afghans are "green". | The term refers to the colour-coding systems used by the US military - Nato forces are "blue" and Afghans are "green". |
The Taliban has been actively recruiting members of the Afghan security forces, publicly announcing that insider attacks were a central part of their strategy against Nato forces. | The Taliban has been actively recruiting members of the Afghan security forces, publicly announcing that insider attacks were a central part of their strategy against Nato forces. |
Most of the victims of the green-on-blue attacks have been Americans. | Most of the victims of the green-on-blue attacks have been Americans. |