Afghan President: Private Security Firms Given Four Months To Dissolve

Afghan President Hamid Karzai

A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Waheed Omer, has said private security companies are being given "a four-month deadline" to dissolve.

U.S. Brigadier General Margaret Boor on August 16 voiced support for the announcement, saying the U.S. military is, as she said, "committed to partnering with the government in meeting that intent."

Boor is in charge of the new Task Force Spotlight, which was set up in June, to oversee the roughly 26,000 private security contractors working in the country.

Private security firms have come under criticism for operating outside local laws and undermining government security forces.

compiled from agency reports