Feral Jundi

About 26,000 armed security contractors work with the U.S. government in Afghanistan, including 19,000 with the U.S. military, Boor said. The majority of military contractors protect convoys, though some also provide base security, said Maj. Joel Harper, a spokesman for NATO forces.

Karzai has said such responsibilities should fall to either enlisted military or police, though it’s unclear how soon Afghan forces would be ready to take on additional jobs.

Boor said private contractors were needed right now to keep development projects and military operations running.

“Since the Afghan army and the Afghan police are not quite at the stages of capability and capacity to provide all the security that is needed, private security companies are filling a gap,” Boor said.

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     I think this will have disastrous consequences if the whole thing is torn down in four months. What perplexes me is that Petraeus is talking with Karzai on an almost daily basis according to the general’s latest interviews. Why is no one telling Karzai and company what the reality is on the ground, or how important security contractors are to the war effort? In essence, because there is such a massive requirement for security and training, and the Afghan police and military already have plenty of work to do when it comes to actually fighting or policing, I am just kind of curious how Karzai magically expects this vacuum to be filled? Will he be making all of his military and police into guards and teachers, and have NATO and ISAF do all of his fighting and policing for him?

     But hey, it’s his country and maybe all the companies should just throw down their weapons all at once. lol If Karzai wants to be popular, this is a great way to do it for about one day. Because as soon as all the reconstruction forces refuse to go out and do anything because of a lack of security, the people will slowly start to understand what was the cause of that. There is an aid machine, and it will shut down if you mess with it. And as the Taliban take advantage of this broken aid machine, they will tell the people that Karzai is the cause of their discontent. So he might think this is a good political move right now, but this will backfire on him in the future and lead to him being removed. If not by another politician, it will be by the Taliban.

     Now the correct way for security contractors to be removed is for a conditions based withdrawal, much like with today’s military forces. A July 2011 withdrawal makes no sense, much like a 4 month withdrawal makes no sense with security contractors. There is a right way to do this, and a wrong way, and success is the only way for a withdrawal to happen. Anything else is a date of victory for your enemy.

     Of course there could be other factors at play and this is way too early to really make an accurate assessment. This could be part of the political negotiation process sparked by the anti-corruption teams that have threatened the Karzai inner circle. Or it could be a move to get more recruits for government forces by dissolving Afghan PSC’s. Stay tuned and we will see how this plays out. Hopefully Tim and other Afghan hands can chime in on what he has heard, or what he thinks is really going on. –Matt

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Afghan gov’t: 4 months to disband security firms

August 16, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan — A spokesman for the Afghan president says Hamid Karzai will order all private security companies in the country disbanded within four months.

Spokesman Waheed Omar says the decree is expected later Monday. It will both set the deadline and detail a process through which the companies should cease operations.

Omar spoke at a press conference in the capital and declined to give further details until the decree was released.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military supports the Afghan government’s plan to dissolve private security companies and is tightening oversight of its own armed contractors in the interim, an official said Monday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called repeatedly for banning private security companies, saying they undermine government security forces. Contractors perform duties ranging from guarding supply convoys to personal security details for diplomats and businessmen.

A presidential spokesman said last week a deadline to abolish private security contractors was imminent. In his inauguration speech in November, Karzai said he wanted to close down both foreign and domestic security contractors within two years.