Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) Revises Implementation Schedule; Extension Approved

The implementation of the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) is being slowed down once again. The negotiations are taking more time than expected and the transition is not going as quickly as the Afghan government wants. Some sources have said the process is "chaotic". The entire transition to APPF for security was supposed to have been completed by March 21, 2012. However, the Afghan government just provided an extension of 30 to 90 days depending on the company, organization, or activity.

Thus far (as of March 18, 2012) the APPF has signed 16 contracts with companies for security services and has licensed 14 Risk Management Companies or RMCs. It has been reported that there are a total of 75 companies that need to sign contracts for a larger number of development projects. Corruption is playing its usual part in the contract signing and licensing procedures.

Many private development companies said the transition to the APPF is putting the projects and the employees at risk. They say that the APPF will not be able to provide an adequate level of security and they worry that they have little control over the training and the procedures.

Read more in "Afghan government gives private security firms more time before ban", The Washington Times, March 18, 2012. For more on the poor implementation of the APPF see "Afghan private security handover looking messy", The Washington Times, February 12, 2012.