Afghanistan cracks down on contractors

KABUL — Afghan officials have seized millions of dollars worth of armored vehicles and weapons from private security firms in recent weeks, a move that has exacerbated concerns about the government’s plan to replace the hired guns that protect convoys and installations with an unprepared state-run guard force.

The crackdown is being carried out even though the Afghan Public Protection Force failed to meet any of the six benchmarks that were set out for it when President Hamid Karzai formally announced a plan to ban private security firms by March 20. An assessment team led by the NATO military coalition, which is heavily involved in the creation of the Afghan force, concluded in the fall that the guard force is far from ready to take over.

Loading...

Comments

• Weigh In
• Corrections?

Personal Post

Gallery

December 2011: Our continuing photo coverage depicts Afghan life as coalition forces fight in the country.

Gallery

 From the devastating tsunami in Japan to Osama Laden’s death, here are the world events that made headlines in 2011.

Diplomats, development experts and company executives worry that the abolition of private security contractors within three months could endanger Afghans and foreigners supporting NATO and its allies, halt reconstruction projects and open new channels for corruption.

The transition is happening at a critical time in the Afghanistan war. As U.S. and allied troops have begun to draw down, there are concerns about how Afghan troops will manage increased security responsibilities. The United Nations recorded an average of 1,995 attacks during the first 11 months of this year, a 21 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, called the transition from private security contractors a “huge task” and acknowledged serious challenges, but he said government officials are committed to meeting the deadline.

“We are working very hard with coalition forces,” he said. “The minister has assured the president we are ready to assume this responsibility.”

Since the ministry began auditing security firms about two months ago, authorities have confiscated nearly 3,200 weapons and at least 35 vehicles, Sediqqi said, describing it as the beginning of an effort that will intensify as the March deadline approaches.

“The companies were given deadlines, and they are giving up all this equipment” to the ministry, he said. “We are very encouraged.”

Sediqqi said the vehicles and weapons are now government property.

“They are being registered properly and will be used for public purpose,” he said.

The government has disbanded 57 security companies. Of the 46 that remain, Sediqqi said, 23 are Afghan-owned and 23 are foreign firms with operations in Afghanistan. The companies provide security to clients ranging from tiny aid organizations to large construction and shipping companies.

Karzai decided last year to disband the companies, saying they fuel corruption and distort the labor market by offering higher wages than the government can pay security forces. The APPF, as the state guard force is known, will be run by the Interior Ministry but will operate independently of the country’s conventional security forces. Taking control of the lucrative private security industry could represent a windfall for the cash-strapped government.