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| Afghan police 'steal' half of all aid | | |
BL KAK
NEW DELHI | JAN 31
The ruling establishment in Kabul has failed to ensure fair and honest utilisation of reconstruction aid to Afghanistan. Corrupt police and tribal leaders have been charged with stealing vast quantities of reconstruction aid which is intended to improve the lives of ordinary Afghans and turn them away from the Taliban.
If a report carried by London's Sunday Telegraph is any guide, in some cases, all the aid earmarked for an area has ended up in the wrong hands. Defence officials in the United States and Britain estimate that up to half of all aid in Afghanistan is failing to reach the right people. NATO forces in the south of Afghanistan have reportedly said that some Afghan police are guilty of corruption and will steal aid if it is handed out. Tribal elders have also been accused of seizing goods, including building materials and fuel, and selling them in markets.
The British publication has quoted a Pentagon official as saying that thousands of cars and trucks intended for use by the Afghan police had been sold instead. A few days ago, the US and European Union announced plans to spend an additional 7 billion pounds on assistance to Afghanistan, of which 1.5 billion pounds will be earmarked for reconstruction.
A committee of British MPs is to investigate the corruption, which has dogged operations in Afghanistan since the Taliban were driven from power in 2001. James Arbuthnot, chairman of the Commons defence select committee, said that the matter needed to be urgently addressed. "Corruption is something we will be examining in the future", the Britsh newspaper quoted him as saying.
NATO commanders in southern Afghanistan are deeply concerned at the level of corruption but have resolved to press ahead with reconstruction projects in the hope of winning over the local population and improving security. In one recent example in Kandahar province, aid distribution went ahead despite fears that it would be stolen. Sergeant Major Denis Tondreau, in charge of delivering Canadian army aid to the Pashmul area, was reported to have said that the Afghan police unit in one village was known for corruption and extortion.
Aid and reconstruction work are seen as key elements of the NATO strategy in Afghanistan, and were cited by the British government as the main reason for deploying thousands of additional troops last year. Last week, NATO foreign ministers signalled that they would boost their military and economic contributions amid calls for more investment in development projects to win the support of the Afghan population.
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