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Afghan Local Police Abuses Worry UN Chief


UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern about human rights violations by Afghans who increasingly are taking over security as foreign troops withdraw.

In a report released on March 15, Ban raised particular concerns about Afghan local police -- some of whom are accused of extortion, extra-judicial killings, and other human rights violations.

A NATO-backed Afghan government program now pays and arms local Afghans to defend their villages in a bid to formalize local protection networks in areas with a strong Taliban presence.

Ban said such local police groups need clear lines of accountability, command, and control to tie them to the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police.

The report comes ahead of a UN security Council vote next week needed to renew the mandate of the UN's mission in Afghanistan.

With reporting by Reuters

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