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Afghanistan formally orders security firms to disband
Afghan President Hamid Karzai Tuesday issued a decree ordering that all private security firms in the country should be disbanded within four months.
"I approve the complete disbandment of private security companies, both national and international, within four months," Karzai's decree said.
The decision aims "to better provide security for the lives and property of citizens, fight corruption, prevent irregularities and the misuse of arms, military uniforms and equipment by private security companies," the decree said.
The plan has prompted concerns of a potential security crisis in the war-torn country, as there are few alternatives to private contractors.
Up to 40,000 armed personnel are employed across Afghanistan by more than 50 companies, roughly half of which are Afghan, according to Afghan authorities.
But Afghans criticise the private security forces as overbearing and abusive, particularly on the country's roads.
Karzai has often complained that they duplicate the work of the Afghan security forces, and divert resources needed to train and equip the army and police.
The president's office said Monday that the deadline for disbanding the companies was January 1, 2011.
The decree ordered Afghan government institutions to buy international security firms' weapons and other equipment before cancelling their staff's visas.
Unregistered firms would be "disbanded as illegal private security companies and their weapons and equipment should be confiscated," the decree said.
Private firms provide security to the international forces, the Pentagon, the UN mission, aid and non-governmental organisations, embassies and Western media companies.
One of their main jobs is to escort supply convoys for US and NATO troops on some of Afghanistan's most dangerous roads, mostly in the southern and eastern parts of the country, where an insurgency is concentrated.
Karzai's decree said Afghan police and army should take on these jobs, which are vital to the military effort against the Taliban-led rebels but which are regarded as among the most perilous as they attract regular attacks.
It also said that security outside the perimeters of embassies and other international organisations would be provided by Afghan security forces falling under the control of the interior ministry.
"The interior ministry is obliged to provide the outer security of the embassies and other international organisations... and provide security for all logistical supplies for the international military forces from the capital to the provinces and further on to the districts," the decree said.
It said international organisations and embassies would still be able to have their own security guards as long as they did not have a presence outside the "compounds".
Employees of the disbanded firms could join the Afghan police force if they were eligible, the decree said.
Afghanistan is rebuilding its national security forces, which include a police force of 140,000.
The country this week reached a recruitment goal of 134,000 in the army, two months ahead of schedule, the defence ministry said. The army is set to grow to more than 170,000 by late 2011.
The tight timetable for the security firms to disband has caused some consternation among the international community, though there is widespread support for the plan to rid the country of what many see as private militias.
The main concern is the perceived inability of the Afghan security forces to step into the breach, as many are regarded as incompetent or corrupt.
Nevertheless, the move had been welcomed by the commander of international forces in Afghanistan, US General David Petraeus, and John Kerry, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, Karzai's office said.
During a meeting earlier Tuesday, Karzai "briefed the American delegation on the Afghan government's decision to disband private security companies and said the dissolution of the firms was a public demand," a statement said.
"The delegation welcomed the move," it said, adding: "Senator John Kerry hailed the decision as the right step and assured his country's support."
Kerry was on a brief visit to Afghanistan, during which he was expected to dine with Karzai and visit US troops before travelling to Pakistan.
The US State Department earlier described the four-month deadline as "challenging."
