KABUL - The US government on Monday pledged providing Afghanistan with $238 million for the continuation of key rule of law and counternarcotics programs, the US embassy said.
An agreement to the effect was signed between Deputy Foreign Minister Javed Ludin and the US Embassy's Coordinating Director for Rule of Law and Law Enforcement Ambassador Stephen G. McFarland during a ceremony in Kabul.

The counternarcotics and law enforcement programs would jointly be carried out with the Afghan government, the embassy said in a statement.

It said the agreement was a concrete example of the continuing commitment by the US government towards the Afghan people and their elected representatives to improve people's lives across Afghanistan.

It said the funding would help the US and Afghanistan achieves two of their shared major strategic objectives. "The allotment will allow for better governance through the improved administration of justice and enhanced rule of law by supporting programs such as the Afghanistan Legal Education Project (ALEP), which publishes and distributes free legal textbooks that specifically address Afghanistan's post-2004 legal system."

The legal system offers studies towards a Legal Certificate for the American University of Afghanistan students pursuing majors in business, political science, and information technology, the statement said.

In the area of counternarcotics, it said, the funding would support and expand current programs including the operation of 29 residential drug treatment centre's located throughout Afghanistan, and would help further joint narcotics interdiction efforts.

"Through this recent allocation of more than $238 million, the government of the United States of America demonstrates its continued commitment to assisting the Afghan government and people in creating a safer and more secure Afghanistan." (Pajhwok)