‘British aid helped pay for death squad cops’

BRITAIN gave £400million in aid to fund a “paramilitary force” involved in death squads, torture and extortion, a watchdog has found.

The money went through a trust to the Afghanistan National Police to help it hold the Taliban at bay.

But the theft of arms was “widespread” in the force and there were “ghost officers” on its payroll, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) said.

Several human rights organisations warned of Afghan police corruption, including extortion, torture and extrajudicial killings.

And a UK security assessment in May 2020 refers to reports of the force committing human rights violations, including beatings. It also highlighted a US State Department report that said the force was implicated in recruiting boys for sexual abuse.

Stabilise

Britain gave the cash to the trust fund that paid police salaries under an international effort to stabilise Afghanistan.

But the ICAI report declared it “a questionable use” of the aid budget.

It added: “We found evidence of a number of attempts at senior levels to terminate the support, which were over-ruled at the highest levels of the UK government.”

The watchdog reports to a subcommittee of the Commons International Development Committee.

Its chair, Tory MP Richard Bacon, said: “ICAI rates the UK’s development assistance to Afghanistan as unsatisfactory in most areas.” He added: “Ministers must... direct UK aid to where it counts.”