(Adds State Department comment, paragraphs 9, 11) By Jeremy Pelofsky WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The U.S.-trained Afghan police force is largely incapable of carrying out routine law enforcement, hobbled by an illiterate corps and "pervasive corruption," according to a new U.S. government report. Managers of the $1.1 billion training program could not accurately say how many officers were on duty and many were using substandard equipment, according to the report by the inspectors general at the defense and state departments issued last month. A copy was obtained by Reuters on Monday. The "readiness level to carry out its internal security and conventional police responsibilities is far from adequate," the report said. "The obstacles to establish a fully professional ANP (Afghan National Police) are formidable." U.S. government officials acknowledged the Afghan police body's difficulties on Monday but said the assessment was six months old. They said they were already making changes to address the concerns and that the role of the police had expanded to deal with a growing insurgency there. "The obstacles to establish a fully professional ANP are formidable, and all parties agree long-term international commitment is required to make lasting progress," said Pentagon spokesman Todd Vician. The government review, first reported by The New York Times, comes five years after U.S.-led forces ousted the hardline Taliban government in 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks. Fighting this year has been the worst since then as the Taliban have resurged, and NATO, which took over command of the country in October, last month agreed to a small increase in troop numbers. HIGH ATTRITION The Afghan Ministry of Interior has authorized a 62,000 person-strong force, but approximately 70,000 are on the payroll. And yet only about half those were trained and equipped to handle their duties, the U.S. report said. State Department spokeswoman Susan Pittman argued that the numbers were outdated and there were now approximately 50,000 police trained and equipped. Still, the program has faced an attrition rate as high as 30 percent because some recruits have been pressured to return home to care for their families and some policemen have complained their superiors take a portion of their pay. Additionally, 70 percent of recruits cannot read or write, the review found. Pittman also said trainers have embarked on a literacy education program to address that problem and that the report praised the overall program as "well executed." Almost $600 million will be needed annually to sustain the program for training, equipment and infrastructure and more than 70 percent would have to come from the international community, the report found. U.S. financial support for salaries, non-lethal equipment, training and facilities declined this year to $9.5 million, down from $40 million in the 2005 fiscal year and $20 million in 2004, according to the government. (Additional reporting by JoAnne Allen.)
