That’s a start. Although I wonder how much we had to pay Crazy Karzai for this two month extension? lol Lately I have been reading all the latest articles about this circus, and it is just dumb. It is obvious that Karzai is playing games. I mean this guy is talking with the Taliban, getting money from Iran, and at the same time jerking us around about PSCs in Afghanistan. He is using the ban on PSCs as a means of extortion and it is just dumb. It’s almost as if some agent was able to penetrate his brain and plant this idea, ‘Inception‘ style.
Because lets be real on this one. Karzai’s life was dependent upon private security during many of the years of his presidency. His family operated private security companies who made millions of dollars from contracts over the years. And all of these recent incidents involving kidnapping, attacks on facilities, and attacks on convoys all highlight how important security is. If there are not enough troops to do the job, then of course private security is the next step, and yet Karzai wants to ban them?
Also, if Karzai has an issue with companies, then instead of throwing the baby out with bath water, he could instead ‘fairly’ issue licenses (which they do, yet does not regulate or manage well ) and require them to be bonded. A bond could make it extremely expensive for companies that screw up, and give the offices an incentive to watch the industry. That would be one way for him to control and regulate companies.
The alternative is that he kicks out all of these companies, to include expat companies, and all of the programs they were tasked with securing will falter. Billions of dollars in aid designed to rebuild and infuse money into the local economies, will now be shut off because these programs do not have security. Not to mention investors will now have second thoughts about doing anything in Afghanistan, all because they are not allowed to use private security.
The logical way to reduce the numbers of contractors is through success in the war. As security increases, attacks and threats decrease, and the requirement for security will decrease. Actually this would be a great metric on how the war is going, and if security contractor use naturally decreases because of that classic market force called ‘a lack of demand’, then this would be an excellent indicator that things are getting better.
It is a lot like the timeline issue that I have talked about in the past. The enemy loves timelines, because it is a date for victory. Troops or contractors should leave not based on timelines but based on progress and success. –Matt
Press Release From The Office Of The President (Afghanistan)
October 27, 2010
Arg, Kabul – For a rapid implementation of Presidential Decree 62 on the dissolution of private security companies, President Hamid Karzai has ordered the establishment of a committee led by the Minister of Interior and participated by representatives from NATO-ISAF and major international donors.
The Committee will develop plans for the disbandment of the PCSs that provide security for development projects and report on progress to the President.
The phasing out of illegal PCSs and road convoy security companies continues on a priority basis as laid out in the Decree.
Recognizing the importance of maintaining the continuous delivery of critical development projects and programs funded by the international community, the Committee will prepare a timetable for the disbandment of the PCSs that secure development projects and submit it to the President on November 15th, 2010.
Once approved, 90 days max will be given to each organization before designated dissolution date. Following the completion of plan’s implementation, the government of Afghanistan will assume responsibility for providing necessary security for development and reconstruction projects.
Link to press release here.
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Afghan ban on security firms delayed by 2 months
By KATHARINE HOURELD
October 27, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghanistan will extend a deadline for private security firms to disband through early next year, the president said Wednesday in a face-saving compromise that could preserve foreign reconstruction projects worth billions of dollars.
The announcement by Hamid Karzai’s office follows days of intense negotiations between top-level foreign diplomats and Afghan officials amid concern the ban would force contractors working on development projects to stop work on many projects due to security concerns.
Even U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton weighed in with a phone call asking Karzai to reconsider his original Dec. 17 deadline.
Karzai’s office said in a statement that the deadline would be extended for at least two months while a committee of officials reviews the decree to ban private guards and comes up with a timetable for phasing out the companies. It was unclear whether different organizations will be given different deadlines.
The issue has been the latest thorn in relations between the president and his Western backers. Karzai claims the private guards are undermining his nation’s army and police and says Afghan security forces should take on the job of providing protection for the aid workers. Western officials support Karzai’s initiative but argue that the hand-over must be carefully planned so projects are not disrupted.
Shortly before the president made his announcement, U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry issued a statement applauding the decision.
“We welcome the government’s announcement of a new committee under the ministry of interior to develop an implementation plan for President Karzai’s approval,” he said in a statement.
The ban had threatened NATO security convoys as well as development and reconstruction projects. Agencies have said they would be unable to insure their workers if they had to replace private security contractors with Afghanistan’s largely poorly trained and undisciplined armed forces.
With only seven weeks to go until the deadline, Afghan officials said it was still unclear where the government would have sufficient police and army troops from to replace the contractors. Most of the country’s armed forces are busy fighting the insurgency.
There are an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 private security guards working in Afghanistan.
Karzai’s office said the committee will submit a suggested timetable to the president on Nov. 15. Once that is approved, each organization will have a maximum of 90 days before the designated dissolution date. The government will then assume responsibility for providing security for the development projects, the statement said.
That means all private security firms can continue operating at least through mid-February.
“Recognizing the importance of maintaining the continuous delivery of critical development projects and programs funded by the international community, the committee will prepare a timetable for the disbandment,” the statement from Karzai’s office said.
The review committee will be led by the Afghan interior ministry and will include members from NATO forces and major donors.
The government will continue to disband illegal private security companies and road convoy security companies, according to the statement.
The U.N.’s top representative in Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura said the international community supports the Afghan government’s stance on private security companies.
He said the international community is committed to a “fixed timetable” and “must respond promptly to President Karzai’s long-standing concerns about the conduct of private security countries.”
Karzai says the private security firms commit human rights abuses, pay protection money to the Taliban and undercut the country’s national security forces by offering higher wages and better living conditions. Many are owned by individuals with powerful political family connections.
Story here.