Article Image

IPFS News Link • Afghanistan

Karzai: Shutter private security companies

• Rahim Faiez via AntiWar.com
President Hamid Karzai called Saturday for the international community to stop supporting private security companies in Afghanistan, which he said have created parallel security forces in competition with police and army.
 
He also said foreign donors should help curb corruption by telling his government details about the reconstruction contracts they award.

Karzai spoke during a visit to the Afghan Civil Service Institute, which is training thousands of civil servants in Kabul and across the nation to bolster the capacity of the Afghan government. The president boasted that the recent international conference he hosted in the capital is proof that the government becoming stronger.

To help strengthen his government, the U.S. and NATO should eliminate private security companies, which Karzai said has created a security structure in Afghanistan that undermines the Afghan army and police.

"Afghan or foreign companies, there are some 30,000 to 40,000 people in these security companies," Karzai said. "They have created security problems for us, whoever is working in these private security companies, they are not working for the benefit of Afghan national interests. ... If they really want to be at the service of Afghans, they should join Afghan National Police."

PurePatriot