World

"I need another year of training," said Mahmoud Nazilee, at a makeshift firing range a few feet away from the twisted remains of a U.S. army vehicle blown up by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by suspected Taliban fighters.

"We can defeat the Taliban but we need a lot more time."

Afghanistan's long term stability hinges on the performance of its army and police. NATO military officials say both have come a long way and are confident they will be able to keep the Taliban from returning to power, even though the insurgency is raging after nine years of conflict.

"These guys are really motivated," said U.S. Captain Kevin Krupski. "Afghans are really happy to see them."

The plan is for U.S. troops to conduct joint missions with the police and keep guiding them until they can eventually carry out missions on their own. That, Afghan policemen say, requires far more extensive training and on-the-job experience ahead of the pullout, due to start in July 2011.

After 45 days of training, 150 policemen graduated from the police academy and are charged with protecting all of the people in Dand district in the southern Kandahar Province, the Taliban's heartland.

The stakes are high. Failure to pacify the country after a U.S. withdrawal starts next summer would deal a major blow to President Barack Obama, who has put Afghanistan on the top of his foreign policy agenda.

And Afghanistan could slip into chaos once again if its army and police can't handle security.

Police face far greater challenges than improving their marksmanship and getting into shape -- they need to shake off the force's reputation of being highly corrupt, abusive and inefficient.

A U.N. drug report this week also said the levels of narcotics use among the police force was quite high, with between 12 and 41 percent of recruits testing positive for opium and derivates such as heroin.

That was clear at a shura, or gathering of tribal elders and village leaders, this week.

"If you misbehave we will not tell you when or where the Taliban are planting IEDs," a village elder told a policeman as U.S. soldiers discussed ways of improving security in the small gathering.

Afghan policemen seem far less alert than army troops. On patrols, they hardly engage Afghans, many of whom are still terrified of the Taliban, even though Dand seems more stable then other parts of Kandahar.

"Some of the police just don't care," said Sgt. Adam Clark, who was leading the target practice at a tall sandy hill. Asked where the policemen were just before the exercise began, a soldier said, half-kidding: "They are probably smoking hash."

In order to make the police more effective, the Americans teach them how to set up checkpoints and search motorists and farmers on donkeys for weapons. It's tricky because Afghan police can't afford to alienate or humiliate the local population.

Afghan policemen say they can't be expected to make rapid progress until they get more sophisticated weapons like the Americans. One said he had to stop firing at the range because his Kalashnikov jammed.

"The biggest challenge is making sure they can take over security responsibilities from us," said Sgt. Mark Randall.

Despite the huge challenges ahead and obstacles, some are optimistic.

"As soon as my shooting gets better, I will kill the Taliban," said Faizallah, a young policeman.