Afghan public protection force program begins

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 02-01-2009 09:19

In Afghanistan a US-funded programme has been launched to train and arm a "Public Protection Force" to aid the fight against the Taliban.

Interior Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar said the United States will provide funds needed to equip the community force with the same Kalashnikov rifles used by Afghan police.

An Afghan policeman is seen near a destroyed vehicle which was used by a suicide bomber in Chaparhar district of  Ningarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009.  (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

He added that the Public Protection Force could play an important role in ensuring everyday security for the people in Afghanistan.

The Minister refused to say where it was being carried out, citing security concerns. But other officials say the programme will begin in Wardak, an increasingly dangerous province in the southwest of the capital of Kabul.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei