KABUL, Jan. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- The target of the Afghanistan government to have a 62,000-strong police force by 2006 is nearly reached as the Afghanistan National Police (ANP) has been strengthened to 53,000, acting spokesperson of UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) Arean Quentier said Sunday.

    "Today there are 53,000 police officers in the Afghan National Police. Of these 32,000 have been newly trained and the others are former policemen," she told journalists at a news briefing here.

    The post-war central Asian state would have 62,000 strong police force by the end of 2006.

    Germany and the United States as the lead nations in rebuilding ANP have been assisting the post-war nation to meet the target on stipulated time.

    With the support of the United States and allies, the post-war Afghanistan has already established 21,000 troops of a 70,000-strong Afghan National Army (ANA) agreed upon in the historic Bonn agreement signed in late 2001.

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