WASHINGTON: Drug abuse is a big problem in Afghanistan’s police force, with four of every 10 recruits testing positive for illicit substances in some areas, said a report by the investigative arm of the US Congress.

The Government Accountability Office said the illicit drug trade posed a major challenge to the US-led counter-insurgency campaign in Afghanistan, which produces 90 percent of the world’s opium.

The Obama administration has switched previous emphasis away from eradication - which was seen as alienating farmers - to going directly after traffickers and drug labs. But the GAO report, released this week, said the police force had its own problems with illegal drugs and addiction.

US State Department officials cited in the report said 12 to 41 percent of police recruits in regional training centers tested positive for illicit drugs and that the percentage likely was higher as opiates leave the system quickly. “Many recruits who tested negative for drugs have shown opium withdrawal symptoms later in their training,” said the report.

(Source: "4 in 10 Afghan police recruits test positive for illicit substances: Report", Pak-Tribune, 12 March 2010)