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| Afghanistan |
| Kabul shuts down foreign security firms |
| 2008-12-16 |
| Kabul has closed security firms that were illegally working in Afghanistan, calling them a threat to the security conditions in the country. Some of the security firms that worked without a legal permit were forced to close, Ali-Shah Paktiaval, a Kabul police official said on Monday, BBC Persian reported. The official said some members of the firms, mostly foreigners, were arrested for further investigation adding that the Afghan government believes they have been involved in insurgent attacks and kidnappings across the country. Paktiaval refused to disclose the number of the firms or the detainees. Most of the firms operating in Afghanistan are American institutions and their staff carry machine guns and grenades. Last year, Kabul government declared that no security firm was allowed to work in Afghanistan and that only army and police forces were allowed to carry weapons. Currently, dozens of security firms are active in Kabul and other Afghan cities and most of them are foreign institutions. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Michael Yon wrote about this a few weeks ago. This seems to be more about the corruption of the central government than it does about groups actually providing security. It is not a good sign. Karzai's government is rotten. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2008-12-16 13:35 |
| #6 Agreed.  But much as I admire Blackwater, unconstrained or unaccountable growth of mercenary forces is not a good trend for civilization.   See, for instance, Italy (whose 14th century condottieri were the predecesors to the Mafia).  Or the tribes that eventually brought down Rome.  And lots of other precedents throughout history. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-12-16 13:07 |
| #5 Point taken, but there are a few not so subtle, GWOT differences. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-16 10:59 |
| #4 foreign contractors and military personnel accused of crimes in Iraq, will at some point be tried in Iraqi courts of law Germany? Japan? Korea? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-12-16 10:53 |
| #3 no security firm was allowed to work in Afghanistan and that only army and police forces were allowed to carry weapons. Coming soon to an Iraq near you. But it matters little. Under the SOFA agreement, foreign contractors and military personnel accused of crimes in Iraq, will at some point be tried in Iraqi courts of law. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-16 09:02 |
| #2 Then again, they could mean mercenaries who are being paid by the drug gangs. Everything in Afghanistan is a lie, a universal constant. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-12-16 08:54 |
| #1 Afghan government believes they have been involved in insurgent attacks and kidnappings The government is correct, if what they mean by "involved" is actually "defending against." |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-12-16 01:19 |