KABUL - US Forces in Afghanistan said on Sunday they have suspended training new recruits to the Afghan Local Police (ALP) amid a spike in the number of insider attacks which are damaging trust between Afghans and their allies.
The ALP is a militia, set up two years ago by US Forces, in villages where the national police force -- a separate body trained by NATO -- is weak. The ALP has been beset by allegations of abuse and widespread corruption.
Rogue shootings have killed 45 NATO-led troops so far this year, 15 last month alone, despite the coalition taking steps to try prevent them, such as requiring foreign soldiers to carry loaded weapons at all times.
In a statement, US Forces said they will temporarily suspend training of about 1,000 new ALP recruits while they re-vet members currently belonging to the 16,000-strong force.
"We believe this is a necessary step to validate our vetting process and ensure the quality indicative of Afghan Local Police," it said.