National
Spain to send 14 officers to Afghanistan police mission
By m.p
May 14, 2007 - 10:54 PM

Spain is to send 14 police and Civil Guard officers to Afghanistan, as part of the European Union operation for a police training mission in the country, agreed by a meeting of EU Defence Ministers on Monday.

The news, announced by the German Defence Minister, Franz Josef Jung, was confirmed by Spain’s Defence Minister, José Antonio Alonso, after Monday’s meeting approved the deployment of 200 European officers.

The mission is expected to start in June and last for three years, with assessments due to take place every six months. It will come under the command of Friedrich Eichele, of the German Federal Border Police.

It aims to help the Afghani government in stabilising the country and setting up security forces to fight against drug trafficking, narcotics production, and what Spain’s Defence Minister described as Afghanistan’s ‘complex criminal structures.’

The programme hopes to increase the present numbers of 17,000 Afghani police up to 60,000 over the training period.

Alonso also referred to the fight against the Taliban, and the need for a police force capable of meeting those demands.
Some 37,000 personnel are currently deployed on the United Nations peace mandate in Afghanistan.