Afghan local police lack support, inspector says

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction released a performance audit revealing Afghan Local Police lack support.

The audit notes an estimated $121 million in funding by the United States will be allocated to the Afghan Local Police annually until 2018, however the forces lack logistics support and oversight. The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction adds local forces are often the first line of defense for small villages in the largely rural country.

"The ALP is the first line of defense for many villages across Afghanistan, but supplies ordered for the ALP are often diverted, delayed, of inferior quality, or heavily pilfered," the report reads. "Furthermore, coalition and ALP personnel SIGAR interviewed stated that unreliable logistics and lack of supplies also increase the likelihood of attrition."

The report adds that local officers are often diverted from their original duty, sometimes used as bodyguards for government officials. The SIGAR office says that if this continues, smaller villages will be less safe from external threats.

The U.S. Department of Defense helped to build police forces in Afghanistan following the conclusion of the 2001 invasion to route al-Qaida and Taliban forces. The department has plans to continue funding the Afghan Local Police program for another year, however are still putting plans together to either disband the force, or incorporate it into the Afghan National Police force.