Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday stoody by a decree to disband private security firms operating in his country, despite objections from the United States and other countries that the move would leave international development organizations without adequate protection to do their work.
Karzai said that he has wanted to disband the organizations for some time and had warned about security for development organizations before, but that his words went unheeded.
"I mentioned that problem five years ago but international friends called it impossible and threatened to close the development projects at that time," Karzai said. "Again, I mentioned that problem three years ago and I requested the international community to help us in implementing it but they asked me to give them time more two years. Now the Afghanistan government is committed in its decision to disband the private security companies".
Karzai believes that the private security companies are creating a parallel security system that challenges the Afghan security forces, his office said.
Regarding protection for the development organizations, Karzai asked other countries to present a list of security requirements for large national projects and that the Afghan government would take decisions on whether and how to safeguard them.
The only exception to the closure of private security firms is their work protecting embassies and diplomats.
CNN
