Surkhrud elders meet to decide on ALP deployment

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): A strong 100-member Afghan Local Police (ALP) force was supposed to be deployed in the Surkhrud district of eastern Nangarhar province on Monday, but it was postponed due to lack of coordination among local elders, officials said on Monday.

The issue was discussed during a meeting at the governor’s house, where ALP Commander General Maj. Gen. Ali Shah Ahmadzai, other high officials and a large number of tribal elders were present. Tribal elders from the district, who attended the meeting, were divided over the issue.

One of the elders, Lal Agha Kakar, who spoke on behalf of others said: “There are no tension among tribes in the Surkhrud district and hence no need to raise and deploy ALP force there in the presence of the national police.”

But another elder and provincial council member, Abdul Qahar Qadir, called ALP deployment in the district as vital and urged the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) to increase the number of the proposed force above hundred.

Deputy Governor Hanif Gardiwal asked the tribal chiefs to discuss and resolve the matter properly among them before announcing their final decision.

Ahmadzai told Pajhwok Afghan News local police had been brilliant in security provision. As many as 30,000 local police have been performing duty in 154 districts of 29 provinces across the country and the force will be deployed in Surkhrud as well, he said.

To a question, he admitted problems existed in the local police force, but said they were 75 percent beneficial. He said in some remote areas, illegal militiamen used to harass residents, who thought they were local police.

Local police have been operating in 14 districts of Nangarhar and their number would reach 1,740 personnel across the province if the proposed 100-member group is deployed.

hs/ma

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