Afghan President Hamid Karzai is set to call on Washington and its allies to shut down their private security companies in the violence-stricken country.
President Karzai will announce the details of his demand late Saturday during a press conference in Kabul, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Informed sources in the presidential office said the Afghan leader was set to impose a ban on Western-backed security firms and announce his new policy on the fight against corruption.
President Karzai had earlier accused foreign security contractors in the country of operating as militias, saying that these firms are only worsening the security situation in Afghanistan.
While some of the security firms stories make you wonder how well they follow the dictum of the war theatre (the "Rules of Engagement" which include the strategies and goals) that comes down the pike from the military leadership, outsourced security firms has become a part and parcel of the US Military approach. It serves the government well to reduce the total number of military men and women they carry during peace time. The private security companies can deploy the same people for non-military security purposes as well. But clearly they are not military and they do not have the same training and experience of military.
As to Afghanistan now taking such an accusative tone on the matter, this is the downside of ever trying to help cleanup the mess in Afghanistan, not that we have much of a choice at this stage.
The bigger issue here that clearly comes through is that Pres.Karzai does not seem to be interested in projecting US as a friend and ally and does not seem to really do not care to save face for the US in any matter. This is a very serious problem for the US as the relationship really needs to heal and that is the only victory that is ever possible in Afghanisstan. If the relationship does not heal, and if it cannot heal, we have really lost the long long war.
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Democracy needs defending - SOS Hillary Clinton, Sept 8, 2010 Democracy is more than just elections - SOS Hillary Clinton, Oct 28, 2010