President Ashraf Ghani on Monday said the ministry of interior was the heart of corruption in the security sector, but vowed to undertake structural reforms and end the problem.

Speaking at the Third Annual European Union Anti-Corruption Conference in Kabul on Monday, Ghani said besides tackling issues related to war and violence the police were also responsible for implementing and protecting the law.

Ghani confirmed that his administration has so far failed to eradicate corruption.

In the security sector particularly we are going to focus this year on the ministry of interior. The ministry of interior is the heart of corruption in the security sector and it is unacceptable and it will be reformed, said Ghani.

He also pledged to consider structural reforms in the ministry of interior.

Meanwhile, Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that corruption was one of the key challenges that undermines peace and development in the country.

Corruption is one of the greatest challenges to restoring lasting peace and development in Afghanistan, said Yamamoto.

In addition, the EU ambassador to Afghanistan Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin said that the Afghan public have suffered the most because of corruption.

The Afghan people, they are the one who suffered from injustice, from lack of opportunity and from the weaknesses of the state, said Mellbin.

It is believed that war, impunity, poverty, unemployment, economic issues, low wages and shortcomings in the laws were among key factors behind endemic corruption in Afghanistan.