Afghan police chiefs sacked for negligence

By Jon Hemming

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan government sacked two provincial police chiefs for negligence, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday, highlighting problems in a force often accused of corruption and which is key to security in Afghanistan.

Poorly paid, poorly trained and ill-equipped, the police are the frontline in the fight against Taliban insurgents. Often stationed in remote outposts, they suffer far higher casualties than the more mobile and better equipped Afghan army.

The Interior Ministry said it had sacked the provincial police chiefs of Dai Kundi in the centre of the country and Wardak just southwest of the capital, Kabul.

"These two people weren't able to provide proper services to the people and couldn't attract the support of the people, they weren't able to establish security and stability properly," ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told a news conference.

The police chief in Wardak stands accused of pocketing officers' salaries, leading many in his force to abandon their posts.

"We are investigating him," said Bashary. Policemen earn only $70 (35 pounds) a month.

It was in Wardak that Taliban rebels kidnapped two German engineers and five Afghans last week. The body of one of the Germans was later found on the side of a road.

Wardak, only an hour's drive from Kabul, is among provinces previously regarded as safe which have witnessed a rise in Taliban violence in the last few months.