Afghan police not doing the job in Marja

Just Foreign Policy News on the Web carries headlines and excerpts during the week from various news source. You can see their daily news items at: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/598. The following item focuses on why and how Afghan police officers stationed in Marja, Afghanistan, are ineffective, even counterproductive, and continuing to be dependent on American supervision and support.

Afghanistan....Afghan Police Earn Poor Grade For Marja Mission
C. J. Chivers, New York Times, June 1, 2010http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/world/asia/02marja.html

Marja, Afghanistan - Three months after arriving in the most dangerous area of Afghanistan's Helmand Province, a contingent of specialized Afghan police officers has logged a mediocre performance while being almost wholly dependent on American supervision and support, Westerners who work with the officers said.

The conduct of Marja's interim police, from a unit American officials describe as the Interior Ministry's most promising force, has been undercut by drug use, petty corruption and, at times, a lack of commitment in the face of the ordinary hardships and duties of uniformed life.

When the force first arrived in late winter, entire units refused to stand guard or clean their living areas, several Marines said, and in northern Marja, police shifts often still abandon checkpoints during the sweltering midday heat, disappearing for lunch breaks lasting hours. Some officers have deserted the force.

The police also seem unschooled in rules of engagement, which risks putting their behavior at cross-purposes with Western units trying to earn civilian support. Police officials themselves say they have inadequate equipment and face a complex, dangerous mission.This early assessment, of a high-profile unit on a much publicized mission, underlined anew the difficulties in creating Afghan forces that can operate independently and be entrusted with the nation's security - an essential step toward drawing down Western forces after nine years of war.

It also raises questions about any timetable for Afghan self-sufficiency. American officials and contractors say it will take much longer for the units to be nurtured to self-reliance and a higher level of skill. For now, the police in Marja perform limited duties. American units create the space in which they operate, and provide their logistical, medical and military support.

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The police also said that establishing connections with residents had been difficult. Part of their problem, they said, was that many sergeants are Tajik, and do not speak Pashto, southern Afghanistan's dominant language.

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