KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai will order all private companies providing security in the war-ravaged country to disband within four months, his spokesman said.
The order, expected to be issued Tuesday, is likely to run into stiff opposition from NATO forces who rely on the companies for security for convoys and installations throughout Afghanistan, The Washington Post reported Monday.
The move surprised U.S. military officials, who are reviewing security company contracts amid complaints that guards are unaccountable and their behavior stokes civilian sentiments against NATO forces, the Post said.
Maj. Joel Harper, a U.S. military spokesman in Kabul, told the newspaper, "We are in total support of the president of Afghanistan's intent to do away with private security companies and to do away with the need for private security companies".
But Harper said, "This should be done in a logical and sequential manner, and as conditions permit".
Critics portray the heavily armed private guards as mercenaries who lack training and are quick to fire weapons. UPI
