Privatisation of conflict not discussed with Kabul

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghan government says it has come to know from media reports about the transfer of the conflict duty to private US companies and the issue has not been discussed with it.

The government’s reaction comes weeks after head of America’s notorious private security firm Blackwater proposed partial privatization of the war in Afghanistan.

Blackwater Security Company assisted US forces in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The private form has also signed some contracts with the US military.

In line with the suggestion, the private company wants around 5,000 private security personnel and around 100 aircraft to be used in the fight against the militants in Afghanistan.

The security personnel hired on a contractual basis would be recruited from NATO, the US and its allied countries that earlier served in Afghanistan and have fighting experience there.

Qader Shah, spokesman for the National Security Council, said domestic and foreign experts presented new tactics to fight militancy. He added the viewpoint of US security contractors about Afghanistan was their own and had nothing to do with the government’s policy.

He said the issue of conflict leadership by Blackwater had not been discussed yet with the Afghan government. The new US strategy for Afghanistan was still under review, he added.

“We have a security cooperation agreement with the US. Military requirements of Afghanistan and US cooperation are discussed within the framework of this agreement,” he explained.

The NSC spokesman described that security and political cooperation between Afghanistan and the US a key policy issue.

According to the US media, America’s annual spending on war would reduce from tens of billions of dollars to only 10 billion dollars if the Blackwater suggestion is implemented.

Blackwater officials also discussed the issue with the White House and other American officials. The firm has evinced an interest in signing a contract with the US and taking responsibility for the war in Afghanistan.

However, political expert Javed Ghafoor said private companies’ leadership of the conflict in Afghanistan would be ineffective. Afghanistan and the US should discuss security, economic and political issues in the framework of their agreement.

Based on the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), the US will meet the Afghan forces’ requirements — an issue that should be considered in the US’s new strategy, he concluded.

nh/mds/mud

Visits: 0