The afghan national police 3 key reasons for anp shortcomings 6 recent efforts to address anp shortcomings 9 conclusions and recommendations robert m. Bacha is the commander of the afghan local police, or alp, in the district of achin. In the 1950s a group of army officers were reassigned to the police forces to develop a new cadre and modernize the police organization. A critical rural security initiative lacks adequate logistics support, oversight, and direction sigar 163arafghan local police sigar october 2015 following issuance of this report, we made two revisions to more accurately reflect dods commitment to fund the alp until 2016. Created at the behest of and funded by the us, the alp is officially designed to secure local communities and prevent rural areas from infiltration of. On december 10, 2011, the commander of us special operations command, adm. Despite being driven by counterinsurgency objectives that is, seeking to defeat insurgents its emphasis upon harnessing local populations reflects. Government departments and agencies, and the afghan government, vsoalp enhanced security, governance, and development in strategically impor.
Police officers should be unshackled from noncore duties of administration and road maintenance. The afghan government passed legislation to establish the local police in july 2010 and formal establishment occurred under a presidential decree of 16 august that year. Forces afghanistan officials have suspended the training of about 1,000 afghan local police recruits, pending revetting of current participants in the program. Training and working with local afghan police and military remains problematic for american forces today, but 2012 was the peak year for american deaths at the hands of their afghan allies. On april 21, 2017, there was a suspected insider attack on the afghan national armys ana 209th corps camp shaheen near mazare sharif. Village stability operations and the afghan local police. This reportwhich is based on a years research in kabul and the provinces of wardak, baghlan, and kunduzseeks to understand the role and. Reforming the afghan national police foreign policy research. Perito afghanistans police the weak link in security sector reform summary in seven years, the afghan national police forces have grown to 68,000 personnel, with. An initial target of 10,000 members was set by the afghan government and the us congress agreed to provide funding for up to 30,000 policemen. Download the report the afghan war has entered a critical period in which the u. Called the afghan local police alp, it is the latest in a long line of new security forces and militias the us and other international forces have worked with in. The 222page pdf is a culmination of reporting about the afghan conflict covering the months of october through december. Called the afghan local police alp, it is the latest in a long line of new security forces and militias the us and other international forces have worked with in recent years to pave the way for the exit of international troops.
Jul 30, 2017 on april 21, 2017, there was a suspected insider attack on the afghan national armys ana 209th corps camp shaheen near mazare sharif. Army special forces in 2010 to serve as a locallybased village or community selfdefense force. The moi has made progress in logistics, personnel management, and training activities, but faces serious gaps in its ability to sustain the program. In hundreds of rural communities, members serve on the front lines of a war that is reaching heights of violence not witnessed since 2001, as insurgents start to credibly threaten major cities. Elections between 1 january and 30 june 2018, unama recorded 341 civilian casualties 117 deaths and 224 injured from electionrelated violence, most of which more than 250 casualties came from two ied attacks on 22 april and 6 may in. A road map to accelerate the implementation of the action plan was endorsed by. Coexisting alongside the enemycentric operations of sof directaction units. During the soviet intervention, the afghan police were organized based on the soviet model with a twotrack. Pdf the afghan local police closing the security gap. Month personnel in program february 2011 4,343 april 2011 5,360 june 2011 6,696 september 2011 8,7 december 2011 10,551 april 2012,9. In his briefing to congress on march 15, general david petraeus stated that the afghan local police initiative was an important addition to the overall campaign to secure the wartorn country and deny the taliban control in key districts purpose of the alp. Afghan local police vital to general petraeus strategy. William mcraven, suggested in a media briefing that the afghan local police alp, locally based paramilitary units. Afghan local police abuse civilians, human rights watch.
While continuing to be funded and advised separately from the. Although the government investigated and prosecuted some cases of extrajudicial. The rights groups report said the afghan governments failure to punish abusive local police officers or the militias known as arbakai was causing harm in. While the attack remains under investigation by afghan authorities and coalition forces, reports suggest that 10 heavily armed taliban fighters wearing afghan army uniforms. Since 2010, village stability operations vso and the afghan local police alp have been key instruments of u. Aug 22, 2016 the afghan local police alp was established by u. Pdf the afghan local police alp was designed as an international counterinsurgency programme that works by raising small, villagelevel defence.
The afghan national police in 2015 and beyond jstor. Performing organization names and addresses joint special operations university,7701 tampa point boulevard,macdill afb,fl,33621 8. Afghan local police established in july 2010, the afghan local police alp is villagefocused and has defence purposes only. A story of how the citizens of shajoy district, zabul province got rid of a bad alp commander and replaced him with a good alp commander. The afghan local police alp was designed as an international counterinsurgency programme that works by raising small, villagelevel defence forces from within rural afghan communities. Despite being driven by counterinsurgency objectives that is. Table of taliban allegations of war crimes by verification status and attribution 845 annex 3.
Sigar 163arafghan local police page 1 a key objective of the coalitions reconstruction efforts in afghanistan is to bolster the afghan governments capacity to provide for its own security by equipping and training the afghan national defense and security forces andsf. Tribal elders, police chiefs and the kandahar governor. The alp is the latest iteration of this type of program and is designed to embrace, where appropriate, other local police initiatives such as the afghan national auxiliary police anap. After travelling around afghanistan for the last few years, crisis groups senior afghanistan analyst, graeme smith, sheds some light on the uncertain nature of the alp, and looks at the confusion surrounding whether they are harming or helping the. Nato resolute support memorandum for record, dated 3 february 2016 86. The future of the afghan local police crisis group asia report n268, 4 june 2015 page 24 tionally worked in the south east, a businessman said. The future of the afghan local police the web site cannot be found. The future of the afghan local police crisis group asia report n268, 4 june 2015 page ii violence. To them, a local populations support and loyalty is important and that the afghan local police is a way to garner such loyalty. The afghan local police alp was designed as an international counterinsurgency programme. We established the afghan auxiliary police program with dutch army general officer, isaf commander in southern afghanistan blessing.
The andsf is mainly comprised of the afghan national army and the. The afghanistan national police is afghanistans front line of. According to the annual report unama released in february, afghan local police alp in zurmat district, paktiya province, killed a civilian and injured two others during an attempted home invasion and robbery in september 2017. There are currently 1,531 women in the afghan national police, 416 women in the afghan national army, and 33 women in the afghan air force. It complements afghan led counterinsurgency efforts. Usip special report 322, police transition in afghanistan. Wall is breached in hyderabad, afghanistan, as part of.
The afghan local police alp is a usuk sponsored local law enforcement agency, defence. Civilian police reform and the resurgence of the taliban. Suspends afghan local police training for further vetting. From arbaki to local police aihrc page 3 introduction the afghanistan independent human rights commission aihrc is a national human rights institution that began its work on the basis of the presidential decree in 81 200203 and was established in accordance with article 58 of the afghan constitution. General petraeus campaign plan calls for providing security to the population for 80 critical districts. In this report, all descriptions of equipment funded for the anp include equipment funded for the afghan local police. The alp units are recruited from local communities of key areas where afghan government influence or control was minimal. At times, this reflected the way alp units have become a central part of the war, singled out by tali ban as important targets. Police facilities impact on perception of safety in afghan. From arbaki to local policeaihrc page 3 introduction the afghanistan independent human rights commission aihrc is a national human rights institution that began its work on the basis of the presidential decree in 81 200203 and was established.
Elections between 1 january and 30 june 2018, unama recorded 341 civilian casualties 117 deaths and 224 injured from electionrelated violence, most of which more than 250 casualties came from. Dress like allies, kill like enemies modern war institute. An analysis of insider attacks in afghanistan 3 executive summary insider attacksattacks by insurgents posing as afghan police or military personnel against local or international forceshave become an important threat to the. The afghan police force has its origins in the hotak and durrani empires in the early 18th century, and over the centuries it was modernized to its current form. Too often, the afghan local police alp has preyed on those it is meant to guard. While the afghan local police alp began as a small u. They see the alp as an effective force to engage and fight the taliban on a village level. There are currently over 2,000 women in the afghan national security forces, of which 1,570 in the afghan national police, 465 in the afghan national army, and 52 in the afghan air force. Afghan war news anp afghan local police news about alp. Each recruit is given a police training manual printed in the dari language.
Read sigar quarterly report on afghanistan jan 30, 2020, sof news, january 31, 2020. The civil challenges to peace in afghanistan center for. Afghanistan conflict update february 2020 sof news. Why some marines fear afghan allies more than the taliban. Reforming the afghan national police a joint report of the royal united services institute for defence and security studies london. The area was once a base of operations for the selfdeclared islamic state group, also known as is.
Assessing the ability of the afghan ministry of interior. The uncertain future of the afghan local police crisis group. The tashkil the government of afghanistans afghan national police program. Rogue units should be disbanded, and better ones integrated into the armed forces. The future of the afghan local police crisis group.
Afghanistans police united states institute of peace. Afghan local police an afghan solution to an afghan problem pdf. Its options now consist of finding some form of peace, leaving the country without any form of victory or security, or fighting indefinitely. Nato experiments have armed local defense forces, including local militias, under the afghan local police alp program to fight the insurgency and provide security at the local level. Formed primarily as a local defence force against taliban insurgents its members have no power of arrest and are only authorised to investigate crime if requested to do so by the afghan national police anp. The future of the afghan local police european country of origin. Afghanistan the government of afghanistan signed an action plan with the united nations to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by the afghan national security forces, including the afghan national police, afghan local police and afghan national army, on 30 january 2011. The afghan local police were established by american commanders as a lowcost auxiliary force trained by the united states special forces. Some members are outright bandits, exacerbating conflict. Afghan plan to expand militia raises abuse concerns the. Afghan government support for local police program is shaky.
The moi has made progress in logistics, personnel management, and training activities, but faces serious gaps in. Field manual 324, counterinsurgency, most density recommendations fall. The afghan local police alp is a usuk sponsored local law enforcement agency, defence force and militia in afghanistan as part of the afghan ministry of interior. Afghan local police alp, afghan national police and afghan border police officers stand in formation during an alp graduation ceremony at the regional alp training center in the lashkar gah district, helmand 606ari362029. Afghanistans local police provide security, but also. An analysis of insider attacks in afghanistan 3 executive summary insider attacksattacks by insurgents posing as afghan police or military personnel against local or international forceshave become an important threat to the american and nato personnel in afghanistan. However, general petraus was able to convince afghan president, hamid karzai, to approve.
Afghanistan human just dont call it a militia rights. Village stability operations and afghan local police prism. The january 2020 quarterly report to congress is now online. Unclassified justification for fy 2020 overseas contingency. This must be done carefully and slowly, or else insurgents will win a new military edge.