Karzai: Investigate the investigators

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KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The government of Afghanistan has launched an investigation of a joint task force, including British and U.S. police, looking into Afghan corruption.

The Major Crimes Task Force, which began its work last year, has been responsible for the arrest of several Afghan officials, The Washington Post reported Thursday. Last week, Mohammad Zia Saleh, a national security official, was charged with bribery.

Waheed Omar, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai, said the president was concerned about more than the arrest of a senior official.

"This institution had actually been engaging in activities which go beyond the constitution and which does not adhere to Afghanistan's rules and regulations," he said.

President Barack Obama and Gen. David Petraeus have made the fight against pervasive corruption in Afghanistan a priority. The task force, initiated in October 2009, involves British and U.S. investigators supervising Afghan police, with the United States providing wiretapping equipment and know-how, the Post said.