The Afghan National Police (ANP) (Pashto: د افغانستان ملي پولیس ; Persian: پلیس ملی افغانستان) is the primary national police force in Afghanistan. It serves as a single law enforcement agency all across the country. The Afghan police force was first created with the establishment of the Afghan nation in the early 18th century. The agency is under the responsibility of Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior, headed by Gen. Mujtaba Patang.
The current Afghan National Police was established after the removal of the Taliban government in late 2001. It receives funding, training and equipment from NATO states. Various local and Federal government employees from the United States as well as Germany's Bundespolizei (BPOL), the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence Police provided most of the training.
In 2002, the EU-led mission (EUPOL Afghanistan) was heading the civilian policing in the Kabul area but by 2005 the United States established training programs in all the provinces of Afghanistan. The Afghan National Police had about 149,000 active members in September 2012, which is expected to reach 160,000 by 2014. More recently, the Afghan government, with persuasion from NATO, has employed local police forces known as Arbakai or Afghan Local Police (ALP).
Read more about Afghan National Police: History, Structure, Facilities, Equipment, Current Status
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