Feral Jundi

This is ridiculous. The Afghan government is out of control on this stuff. Look, there is a reason why a private security company is armed with AK 47’s in Afghanistan. Because there is a war going on. So in my view, contractors transporting weapons in the back of their car is not at all abnormal, and nor should it be construed as illegal. Especially if there was a valid explanation for them having the weapons in there in the first place. Here is the quote from the company:

GardaWorld, in a statement, said that it did not yet own the weapons and that its guards were taking them to a rifle range for testing. “The weapons in question were being taken to be tested at a firing range before being purchased and properly licensed by GardaWorld,” the company said, adding that in its discussions with the government it hoped to clear up what it implied was a misunderstanding and “rectify the situation as soon as possible.”

To test these weapons is perfectly understandable, seeing how functional weapons for a security operation is pretty damn important. Now maybe if Afghanistan actually had weapons vendor laws where the dealer actually had to be licensed and all of his weapons must be licensed with Afghanistan, then maybe these kinds of incidents would not happen?

The other thing about this is that this company was operating off of the latest set of rules and laws, or the last agreements and contracts signed. According to GardaWorld, that is what they are dealing with right now. Here is the quote:

The company said it had complied with all Afghan laws and regulations in its operations in the country, where it provides mobile escort guard services and protection for compounds and bases. It would not specify which compounds or bases it protected.
The Interior Ministry said that the company had contracts to work in Kabul, Herat, Kandahar and two other cities, and that GardaWorld was one of 46 security companies licensed to operate in Afghanistan until March 2012.

Also, GardaWorld is a Canadian company. Canada has certainly contributed much to this war, and they expended blood and treasure for the sake of Afghanistan. And this is how Afghanistan treats a Canadian company?  Boy, if I was a businessman in Canada, I don’t think I would want to do business in an environment like that. The Canadian government should be furious that one of their companies is getting this kind of treatment.

I guess that is my point here. If Afghanistan is willing to do this to these businesses called PSC’s, then it is not a stretch to imagine Karzai and company doing the same to other businesses. In that kind of environment, I don’t know why anyone would want to put up with that. I guess if that is what Karzai wants, then that is what he will get. –Matt

Afghanistan Closes Firm Providing Security
By GRAHAM BOWLEY
January 5, 2012
The Afghan government said Thursday that it was shutting down the operations of one of the largest foreign security companies operating in the country after detaining two of its contractors on suspicion of gun smuggling.
After months of growing tension between the government and foreign security contractors, the decision marks a sharp escalation into public action by the Afghan authorities.
President Hamid Karzai is in the midst of replacing foreign security contractors with Afghan guards.
The Interior Ministry said it was immediately withdrawing the company’s license, although the company, GardaWorld, a private Canadian security outfit, said it was in discussions with the government and hoped to be able to continue to operate.
The Interior Ministry said that the contractors, two Britons, who were detained on Tuesday after being found with an arsenal of unlicensed AK-47 assault rifles in their sport utility vehicle, were among the 341 Afghan guards and 35 foreign contractors employed by GardaWorld in Afghanistan.

At a news conference in Kabul, the authorities put on display the two Britons as well two Afghans who were detained — their driver and their interpreter. Seddiq Seddiqi, an Interior Ministry spokesman, said the rifles had been found wrapped in blankets inside a metal box in the trunk of the vehicle. The rifles, which the government said had their serial numbers scratched off, were also shown to reporters at the news conference.
GardaWorld, in a statement, said that it did not yet own the weapons and that its guards were taking them to a rifle range for testing. “The weapons in question were being taken to be tested at a firing range before being purchased and properly licensed by GardaWorld,” the company said, adding that in its discussions with the government it hoped to clear up what it implied was a misunderstanding and “rectify the situation as soon as possible.”
The company said it had complied with all Afghan laws and regulations in its operations in the country, where it provides mobile escort guard services and protection for compounds and bases. It would not specify which compounds or bases it protected.
The Interior Ministry said that the company had contracts to work in Kabul, Herat, Kandahar and two other cities, and that GardaWorld was one of 46 security companies licensed to operate in Afghanistan until March 2012.
The foreign companies have been plagued by allegations of corruption, illegal use of weapons and heavy-handed use of force, sometimes resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.
Mr. Seddiqi said the government was committed to pushing ahead with plans to shut down the foreign companies and to switch to Afghan security forces. “The Ministry of Interior will follow the order of the president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and dissolve all the security firms” by this spring, he said.
Mr. Karzai’s plan to develop and train a new Afghan security force has been slow, and private foreign contractors maintain a sizable presence in Afghanistan, protecting foreign companies, diplomatic missions, military sites and aid projects worth billions of dollars. Mr. Karzai has said he intends to allow private contractors to continue to work for embassies and diplomatic missions and for some NATO bases.
Story here.
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Two British security contractors arrested in Afghanistan over AK47s
January 6, 2012
Two British nationals arrested in Afghanistan after being caught with 30 illegal Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles were working for private security firm GardaWorld, officials said yesterday.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We can confirm that two British nationals were detained by Afghan authorities in Kabul on January 3 2012.?”British Embassy officials are in contact with the Afghan authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance.”?The Britons are believed to have been arrested alongside two Afghan colleagues after police found the weapons in their vehicle on Tuesday.?Ministry of Interior spokesman Sediq Sediqi reportedly said police who stopped the contractors’ vehicle at a Kabul checkpoint found 30 AK-47 rifles with their serial numbers scratched off and no permits in a metal box covered by a blanket.?All four men were reportedly arrested on suspicion of illegal arms transport and their case sent to Afghanistan’s attorney general for investigation.?But a spokesman for GardaWorld said they fully complied with all laws and regulations and the guns were being taken to be test-fired before being bought and properly licensed.?He said: “GardaWorld is co-operating fully with the Afghan authorities to resolve this situation.?”The weapons in question were being taken to be tested at a firing range before being purchased and properly licensed by GardaWorld.?”We fully comply with all laws and regulations in our Afghanistan operations and are making every effort to work closely with the Afghan authorities to rectify the situation as soon as possible.”?The situation is the latest issue involving private security companies in Afghanistan – President Hamid Karzai has ordered all protection companies shut down this year and replaced by a unified government-run protection force.?In July 2010, former British Army officer Bill Shaw was freed from an Afghan jail on appeal after being jailed for two years and fined £16,000 for bribing officials.?Mr Shaw, from Leeds, who was 52 at the time, was working in Afghanistan for British security firm G4S when he was handed the sentence in March 2010, but the father-of-three was later acquitted after an appeal in Kabul.?During the trial Mr Shaw, who served for 28 years with the Royal Military Police and was awarded the MBE, said he paid for the release of two impounded armoured vehicles belonging to G4S and believed he was paying a legitimate fine which was fully documented and approved in accordance with his company’s procedures.
Story here.