Kabul - XINHUA
The European Union (E.U.), in its latest aid efforts for Afghan National Police, on Wednesday announced another 95 million U.S. dollars for payment of the war- torn nation's police personnel.
"The Afghan National Security Forces are playing an increasingly important role in the Afghan society as it moves towards transition. Their presence and professionalism is crucial to the sustainability of the Afghan state and the security of its people," Milko Van Gool, Head of Development Cooperation of the E. U. Delegation to Afghanistan, told a press conference here.
He said the sum will be fully allocated for salaries of at least 12,600 Afghan police personnel for the next two years.
"The job of the Afghan police officer is a difficult and dangerous one. He or she has earned every single cent of their salary. I therefore take this opportunity to reiterate the obligation of the government to find ways to ensure the complete monthly salary goes directly into the pockets of each individual officer and nowhere else," said the E.U representative.
E.U., as the long term supporter of Afghan police, with the latest payment has been contributed a total of over 440 million Euros (591 million U.S. Dollars) to Afghanistan's Civilian Police through the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA), which is administered by United Nations Development Program (UNDP).