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Afghanistan War News
> Village Security and Local DefenseFound on this web
page are a number of news articles and publications about village security
and local defense initiatives that have been started in Afghanistan in an
effort to provide security to rural and remote areas of Afghanistan. These programs
include the Afghanistan National Auxiliary Police (ANAP), Community
Outreach, Afghan Public
Protection Program (AP3), Community
Defense Initiative (CDI), Local Defense Initiative (LDI), Village Stability Operations (VSO), Afghan Local Police (ALP), and others.
The programs came about due to frustration with the slow progress of
the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) at the national level, logistical problems within the
Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior, corruption of national, provincial, and district
leaders, bureaucratic infighting, and the changing strategy of
counterinsurgency over the past few years. These programs hope to
leverage the concept of arbakai - which is a tribal based community
policing system - that is found in areas of Afghanistan.
Some programs are no longer in effect (I.e. Community Defense
Initiative, Local Defense Initiative, etc.) due to politics
within the United States military and diplomatic community, opposition
of some entities of the Afghan government, lack of funding, divergent
views on the use of 'militias', or because the programs simply did not
work well. Some programs were developed as pilot projects and then
transitioned into a new program.
The long-term success of these local bottom-up approaches depend on a
number of things going right in Afghanistan. One important factor is
the ability of the Department of State to field personnel as a part of the
"civilian surge" that will work in the District Support Teams in
conjunction with the U.S. military. The
District Support Teams can assist in the Village Stability Program efforts
tying the district headquarters into the rural villages so that services
such as justice, law, order, security, and development are provided.
Info on Specific Programs
Detailed on This Page
Afghanistan National Auxiliary Police
(ANAP)
Afghan Public Protection Program (AP3)
Community Defense Initiative (CDI)
Local Defense Initiative (LDI)
Village Stability Operations (VSO)
Afghan Local Police (ALP)
Footnotes and References
Publications and Documents on Village Security
News Articles about Village Security and Local Defense
October 27, 2011.
"Afghan Local Police: when the solution becomes the problem". The
AFPAK Channel, Foreign Policy.
October 23, 2011.
"Special Forces training Afghan police". The Examiner.
October 19, 2011.
"Bad Guys vs. Worse Guys in Afghanistan". by Luke Mogelson,
The New York Times. Article on Afghan Local Police (ALP).
February 25, 2011.
"Is U.S. Legitimizing Warlords and Criminals in Afghanistan".
AllGov.
February 19, 2011.
"Turning
the Tide". DVIDS - CJSOTF-A Media Operations Center.January 4, 2011.
"Reintegrated Taliban fighters allowed to join local police units".
Stars and Stripes.
December 15, 2010.
"Taliban Extend Reach to North, Where Armed Groups Reign". The
New York Times.
December 8, 2010.
"NMCB 3's DET 4 Strengthens Afghanistan Partnership". Navy.mil.
December 7, 2010.
"Pakistani anti-Taliban militias offer lessons for U.S. in Afghanistan".
The Washington Post.
December 1, 2010.
"COIN Leadership Course Students Gain Insight about VSO". NTM-A
Blog.
November 23, 2010.
"Into Talbian Territory: The Beginnings of the Tarbuz Guzar Militia".
Radio Free Europe.
November 19, 2010.
"Quick fixes won't aid Afghan civilians". Politico.
November 7, 2010.
"Second Afghan Local Police course graduates in Paktiya". DVIDS.
October 27, 2010.
"ANA Special Forces Team incredible". Outside the Wire.
October 27, 2010.
"Neighborhood watch gaining foothold in Marjah". Stars and
Stripes.
October 24, 2010.
"A Comprehensive Approach to Local Engagement in Afghanistan".
Furey, Small Wars Journal.
October 19, 2010.
"U.S. seeks a larger village police force in Afghanistan". Los
Angeles Times.
October 19, 2010.
"Enclaves of Optimism". Afghanistan Analysts Network.
October 19, 2010.
"Officials aim to establish Afghan local police force by March".
Los Angeles Times.
October 18, 2010.
"Karzai says he will back locally based forces". Marine Corps
Times.
October 8, 2010.
"Canada considers militarizing Afghan villagers". The Globe and
Mail.
September 30, 2010.
"The Village Engagement Center". Small Wars Journal.
August 26, 2010.
"Wardak security improves with AP3". CJTF-101.
August 23, 2010.
"Afghan police force scrutinized". UPI.com.
August 18, 2010.
"Afghan Local Police Initiative Approved for Village Protection".
NTM-A CSTC-A.
August 12, 2010.
"Afghanistan's 'Militia' Problem: Can Local Defense Forces Replace
Private Security Firms". The Jamestown Foundation.
July 28, 2010.
"Going Small: The Local Defense Initiative". Fire Dog Lake.
July 28, 2010.
"Shura Plots Course for Village Security in Panjwa'i District".
ISAF News Release.
July 28, 2010.
"Afghanistan Needs Local Politics, not Local Militias". World
Politics Review.
July 27, 2010.
"Viewpoint: Why Afghans fear village defence forces". BBC.
July 26, 2010.
"Local Communities in Afghanistan Can Play Crucial Role in Improving
Security". By Seth Jones and Arturo Munoz, RAND Corporation.
July 26, 2010.
"After gains in Gizab, Afghan villagers seek local defense in Uruzgan".
USASOC News Service.
July 22, 2010.
"Community police program a key to Afghanistan security". The
Florida Times-Union.
July 22, 2010.
"Village Stability Leads to Security Gains and Development in Adirah".
ISAF Facebook.
July 21, 2010.
"Afghan Village Force: Moving Forward". Hekmat Karzai, East
West Institute.
July 21, 2010.
"Program has Afghans as first line of defense". Sean Naylor,
Army Times.
July 21, 2010.
"Going old school: U.S. Army Special Forces Return to the Villages".
The AFPAK Channel, Foreign Policy.
July 16, 2010.
"The U.S. Goes Local in Anti-Taliban Fight". Time.
July 15, 2010.
"Afghanistan to get Dad's Army-style defence force".
Telegraph.
July 15, 2010.
"Afghan President Karzai approves plan for local defense forces".
The Washington Post.
July 15, 2010.
"Can Local Militias Save Afghanistan?" The Atlantic Wire.
July 15, 2010.
"Karzai says he will back locally based forces". Army Times.
July 14, 2010.
"Karzai Approves Plan to Keep Taliban Out of Villages". DoD
News Release.
July 14, 2010.
"Afghans to Form Local Forces to Fight Taliban". The New York
Times.
July 14, 2010.
"Petraeus Considers Expanding Afghan Village Forces". NPR.
July 12, 2010.
"U.S. and Afghanistan Debate More Village Forces". The New
York Times.
July 10, 2010.
"Gen. Petraeus runs into resistance from Karzai over village defense
forces". The Washington Post.
July 10, 2010.
"Perspectives: Building a government; Reaching out to Afghan tribal
leaders is key to a U.S. victory". Pasadena Star-News.
July 9, 2010.
"Developing the Ministry of Interior: Path to Success". NTM-A.
July 6, 2010.
"U.S. Battles to Train Local Forces in Afghanistan". PBS.
July 1, 2010.
"U.S. Enlists New Afghan Village Forces". The Wall Street
Journal.
June 27, 2010.
"Local Defence in Afghanistan: A Review of Government-backed
Initiatives". Human Security Report Project.
June 24, 2010.
"The
revolt of the good guys in Gizab". Afghanistan Analysts Network.
June 21, 2010.
"U.S. eager to replicate Afghan villager's successful revolt against
Taliban". The Washington Post.
June 17, 2010.
"U.S. Hopes To Win Afghan Trust, Village by Village". NPR.
June 10, 2010.
"New plan to woo Afghan Taliban could harm villages". The
Christian Science Monitor.
June 9, 2010.
"Special Forces Training Afghan Villagers". Military.com.
May/June 2010.
"It Takes the Villages". Dr. Seth Jones, Foreign Affairs.
May 27, 2010.
"Local Defence in Afghanistan: A Review of Government-backed Initiatives".
Afghanistan Analyst Network.
May 18, 2010.
"A Sunni Awakening: Not So Easy in Afghanistan". Time.com.
May 2, 2010.
"US forces training Afghan villagers to watch for Taliban".
Boston.com.
April 27, 2010.
"U.S. training Afghan villagers to fight the Taliban". The
Washington Post.
March 27, 2010.
"Local v. National Control". Registan.net.
March 14, 2010.
"Winning the war, 'one tribe at a time'".
Fredericksburg.com.
March 13, 2010.
"Future unclear for widely-praised Afghan militias". Stars and
Stripes.
March 12, 2010.
"Afghan Public Protection Program success paves the way for development
in Jalrez". Embassy of the United States - Afghanistan.
March 11, 2010.
"Afghan Tribal Rivalries Bedevil a U.S. Plan". The New York
Times.
March 8, 2010.
"US keeps secret anti-Taliban militia on a bright leash".
Article in the Guardian about the Local Defense Initiative militias.
February 23, 2010.
"Locals Complete Afghan Public Protection Program". ISAF News
Release.
February 11, 2010.
"Tribe and prejudice: America's 'new hope' in Afghanistan". The
National Conversation.
January 27, 2010.
"Afghan Tribe, Vowing to Fight Taliban, to Get U.S. Aid in Return".
The New York Times.
January 22, 2010.
"Afghan 'Community Initiative' Reigned In?". The Washington
Independent.
January 22, 2010.
"U.S. Ambassador puts brakes on plan to utilize Afghan militias against
Taliban". The Washington Post.
January 22, 2010.
"U.S. Delays Setting Up More Anti-Taliban Militias". The New
York Times.
January 17, 2010.
"Jim Gant, the Green Beret who could win the war in Afghanistan".
The Washington Post.
January 8, 2010.
"Exploiting Afghan Tribal Militias for an Optimal Counterinsurgency
Campaign". Veterans Today.
December 9, 2009.
"What About Those Afghan Militias?" The Washington
Independent.
December 1, 2009.
"Afghan Human Rights Official Criticizes McChrystal 'Tribes'
Initiative". The Washington Independent.
November 23, 2009.
"British to train local Afghan militias in new hearts and minds push".
Times Online.
November 22, 2009.
"As Afghans Resist Taliban, U.S. Spurs Rise of Militias". The
Gadsden Times.
November 21, 2009.
"Afghan Militias Battle Taliban With Aid of U.S.". The New
York Times.
November 21, 2010.
"U.S. helping some militias in Afghanistan". UPI.com.
November 5, 2009.
"Memo to Obama: Listen to Jim Gant or Risk Losing Afghan War".
New York Daily News.
November 4, 2009.
"Going Tribal in Afghanistan". The New York Times.
October 26, 2009.
"One Tribe at a Time". Dave Maxwell, Small Wars Journal.
October 19, 2009.
"The 'How' of Tribal Engagement". Steven Pressfield Online.
September 28, 2009.
"One Tribe at a Time". By Jim Gant, posted on Steven
Pressfield Online.
September 26, 2009.
"Living among the Afghans: Special Forces troops move into town, build
ties with locals". SF Examiner.
September 13, 2009.
"Local Afghan patrols invested in peace". USA Today.
September 2009.
"Afghan Village Militia: A People-Centric Strategy to Win".
Small Wars Journal.
August 27, 2009.
"Tribal guards add little". The Washington Times.
May 14, 2009.
"Afghan leaders, U.S. Soldiers initiate new security program to empower
local residents". www.army.mil.
May 13, 2009.
"Afghan Leaders, U.S. Soldiers Initiate Public Protection Program".
American Forces Press Service.
March 25, 2009.
"The Afghan Public Protection Force pilot program is underway".
The Long War Journal.
February 12, 2009.
"US, NATO Forces in Advanced Plans to Create Citizen Militias in
Afghanistan: Reveals Leaked Email". The Huffington Post.
February 1, 2009.
"New Afghan Security Unit to Police Dangerous Areas". VOA News.
January 23, 2009.
"Disputes cloud Afghan 'public guards' plan". Los Angeles Times.
January 8, 2009.
"Afghans wary of anti-Taliban 'militia' plan". Google News.
January 6, 2009.
"Costs of war: No to tribal militias". ISN Security Watch.
December 16, 2008.
"U.S. Military to Launch Pilot Program to Recruit New Local Afghan
Militias". U.S. News and World Report.
December 11, 2008.
"Proceed with Caution on Afghan Tribal Strategy". Council on
Foreign Relations.
November 7, 2008.
"A Tribal Strategy for Afghanistan". Council on Foreign
Relations.
October 10, 2008.
"U.S. plans to train Afghan militias". Los Angeles Times.
February 28, 2008.
"Tribal leaders still in charge of Afghanistan". The Sunday
Times.
October 19, 2007.
"Beyond Warlordism: The Local Security Architecture in Afghanistan".
Afghanistan Conflict Monitor.
July 30, 2007.
"Cops or Robbers? The Struggle to Reform the Afghan National Police".
Afghanistan Conflict Monitor.
Return to Top of Page
Afghanistan National Auxiliary Police (ANAP)
The Afghanistan National Auxiliary Police (ANAP) program was launched
in late 2006 by the Afghan Ministry of Interior with international
support (mostly from CSTC-A). The program was supposed to provide
a community policing force recruited from the local population.
The ANAP faced many challenges which included " . . . inadequate
logistical support, inadequate vetting, unclear command-in-control . . .
" (4). There were at one time close to
10,000 recruits trained and in the field. Recruits were supposed
to come from the local area and be vetted by the community. Once
selected they would receive about 80 hours of training (DynCorps
International had a contract for the training). The recruits were
provided with uniforms, weapons, and a monthly salary. The
program, a formal government program, lasted about two years and faded
away in May 2008.
Return to Top of Page
Afghan Public Protection Program (AP3)
The Ministry of Interior worked with the U.S. military
to establish a program called the Afghan Public Protection Program or
known as AP3. This was another community level security program.
It was first implemented in Wardak in March 2009. This Wardak
force has been successful - recruiting more than 1,200 men to the force
(6). Part of its success is attributed to
a strong leader and ex-Taliban leader called Ghulam Mohammed Hotak
(5).
Return to Top of Page
Community Defense Initiative (CDI)
The Community Defense Initiative (CDI) started in
July 2009 and lived a short life. The effort, endorsed by General
McChrystal, did not get the full support of the U.S. Embassy
(1). CDI was meant to encourage local
defense forces to organize in their communities at the local level to
act against the Taliban. The scope of CDI is primarily to protect
villages and manning checkpoints. The support provided by U.S.
forces included ammunition, communications equipment, food, and training
but no weapons. CDI was discontinued and replaced by the Local
Defense Initiative (LDI).
Return to Top of Page
Local Defense Initiative (LDI)
Local Defense Initiative (LDI) replaced CDI (described
above). Under LDI villages and communities are
identified that appear to be willing and able to start up a local
defense force. The force is not provided weapons and pay - however
receives receive training and support from U.S. forces as well as
development work for their villages and communities.
(2) The overall aim of the LDI program is
to secure local communities with the villagers who live in the area in a
defensive posture. This program is funded by the U.S. military.
(Program is now discontinued).
Return to Top of Page
Village Stability Operations (VSO)
The Village Stability Operations (VSO) is an initiative to provide stability
and security to the Afghan population in rural areas that are considered
key by the coalition forces. There are many civilian and military
leaders that believe the solution in Afghanistan is a local, bottom up effort
- establishing security, governance, and development at the community
and village level.
It is apparent to many that the Afghan government is having difficulty
in doing this with a top-down approach. Some are advocating this
"bottom-up approach" (3) along with the efforts
to build up the government forces at the national level. Many
recognize that Afghanistan is not a functioning nation-state; but is a
geographic area composed of many ethnic groups and tribes.
Village Stability Operations is being conducted by Special Forces
through their Village Stability Platforms (VSPs) and is now on-going in various parts of the
country. VSO is comprised of three components - security ,
governance and development. The primary element of security for
the Special Forces units is the Afghan Local Police (ALP) - see below
for more on the ALP. An early start to VSO was in Day Kundi province in August
2009 (10). However, it lacked the full support of many elements of
the United States community - to include some brigade commanders
and U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry - and the Karzai regime.
The VSO program was started unilaterally by the U.S. military (for the
most part by Special Forces) in the spring of 2010. The program
was a refinement of CDI and LDI. Early attempts to expand the
ALP program (considered a component of VSO by SOF) were unsuccessful and ran into opposition from Karzai.
“We have to make sure that we don’t develop militias or any other
kinds of forces that might undermine the government and become another
kind of instability,” said the president’s spokesman, Waheed Omar.
Among Mr. Karzai’s demands are that any local force be under the
control of the local Afghan police commander, wear uniforms, be paid
through the Ministry of Interior, and be under the ministry’s command,
Mr. Omar said. (7)
Eventually about 12 village stability program sites were established
by Special Forces ODA's with plans for expansion in the future.
However, this got put on hold until the Karzai government and senior
Coalition leadership could come to terms on the future of the
ALP initiative.
A series of meetings were held in July 2010 to come to an agreement
of the specifics and scope of the program. Eventually the Afghan
government agreed to the local village defense plan but it stipulated
that "the forces would be under the supervision of the Afghan Interior
Ministry, which will also be their paymaster". They would be the
equivalent of armed local police forces that are paid and wear uniforms.
(8). The program that has evolved was
called the "Afghan Local Police".
Village Stability Operations expanded through 2011 into 2012 however
the SOF teams were soon exceeding their capacity. The SOF teams
were augmented with conventional infantrymen, Civil affairs, MISO, MWDs,
CSTs,
AfPak Hands, and other enablers. Learn more about
Village Stability Operations (VSO) at Afghan War News.
Return to Top of Page
Afghan Local Police (ALP)
The Afghan Local Police (ALP) Initiative was endorsed by Karzai in July 2010
after negotiations with General Petraeus. The final implementation plan
was approved by Karzai in mid-August 2010. The Afghan Local Police
Initiative was an adaptation of
previous village defense and security programs attempted by United
States Special Forces. The Afghan Local Police force would be uniformed,
paid, armed, and report to the Ministry of Interior (MOI) through local
district headquarters. The MOI would provide vehicles, radios, and
light weapons. It would, in most cases - at least
initially - be advised and trained by USSF detachments living and
working in the villages or communities. Unlike the Afghan National
Police (ANP) they will not have the ability to arrest people and their
pay will be less than the ANP. The local police will be vetted by
local village elders and be representative of the local population.
(11). The concept of the ALP approved by Karzai
is, unfortunately, not quite what U.S. Special Forces had in mind.
The various local security initiatives started by U.S. Special Forces
were founded on concepts of independence from the central government and
a local bottom up approach - and for good reason. These programs,
proposed by USSF, were to be free of the Afghan central
governments interference in equipment and salary issues. Past
programs headed by the MOI and assisted by the "big Army" bureaucracy (U.S.) have
mostly proven to be ineffective and riddled with incompetent leaders,
inefficient systems and corruption. The ALP may prove to be one
more failure because the mid- and upper-leadership will be chosen by the
MOI - therefore corrupt and incompetent; equipment shortages of weapons,
ammunition, radios, radio batteries, vehicles and fuel will be a
limiting factor; and pay will be skimmed off by corrupt MOI and
mid-level bureaucrats.
For the moment, the Afghan Local Police (ALP) initiative appears to be
growing. It is initially being funded through CERP funds until the
Ministry of Interior (MoI) can figure out how to put into use the funds
that the U.S. is providing the MoI for the ALP - this might take some
time.
The ALP is just one component of the Village Stabilization Operations
(VSO)
program. The ALP provides the mechanism for local security and
defense. The various PRTs and district government centers are
supposed to tie into the local villages and communities to establish the
development and governance piece.
View the following link for detailed information on the
Afghan Local Police (ALP)
and read recent
news articles about the ALP.
Return to Top of Page
Footnotes and References
(1) Spencer Ackerman,
"Afghan 'Community Defense Initiative' Reigned In?",
The
Washington Independent, January 22, 2010 and Rajiv Chandrasekaran,
"U.S. ambassador puts brakes on plan to utilize Afghan militias against
Taliban", The Washington Post, January 22, 2010.
(2) Jon Boone,
"US keeps secret anti-Taliban militia on a bright leash,"
Guardian, March 8, 2010.
(3) Dr. Seth Jones,
"It Takes the Villages", Foreign Affairs, May/June 2010.
(4)
"Local Defence in Afghanistan: A Review of Government-backed Initiatives",
Afghanistan Analysts Network, May 27, 2010.
(5)
"Ex-Taliban Commander Seized in Afghanistan",
Military.com,
July 19, 2004.
(6)
"In an Afghan Valley of Death, Good News - for Now".
Time.com,
June 16, 2010.
(7).
"U.S. and Afghanistan Debate More Village Forces",
The New York Times,
July 12, 2010.
(8).
"Afghans to Form Local Forces to Fight Taliban".
The New York
Times, July 14, 2010.
(9)
"The Afghan Public Protection Force pilot program is underway",
The
Long War Journal, March 25, 2009.
(10)
"Program has Afghans as first line of defense",
Army Times,
July 20, 2010.
(11)
"Afghan Local Police Approved for Village Protection", NTM-A, August
18, 2010.
Return to Top of Page
Publications, Reports, and References on Local,
Community, and Village Security
"One
Team's Approach to Village Stability Operations". By Rory
Hanlin, Small Wars Journal, September 4, 2011.
"Thai Village Security Lessons for Afghanistan". By Jeff Moore
of the National Defense University Irregular Warfare Department, 3
August 2010. Posted on Small Wars Journal.

"Community Defense in Afghanistan". By Seth G. Jones,
Joint Forces Quarterly - NDU,
2nd Quarter 2010.
(Adobe Acrobat
)
Afghanistan's Local War: Building Local Defense Forces. By Seth Jones & Arturo Munoz, RAND Corp, 2010.
(Adobe Acrobat
)
Local Defense in
Afghanistan. A critique of local defense initiatives by Mathieu
Lefevre of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, May 2010.
(Adobe Acrobat
)
"One Tribe at a Time". A Strategy for
Success in Afghanistan. By MAJ Jim Gant, 2nd Edition, 2 Dec
2009, Nine Sisters Publications. Posted on Steven Pressfield
Online.
(Adobe Acrobat
)
Disarming Afghanistan's Warlords. By Jake Sherman,
Fletcher Journal of Human Security, Tufts University, Volume XX -
2005. (Adobe Acrobat
)