NATO forces rely on illegal Afghan militias, report says

NATO forces in Afghanistan are increasingly reliant on illegal militias, often run by warlords responsible for human rights abuses and drug trafficking, according to an independent report published tomorrow. New York University's Center on International Cooperation (CIC) reports that the use of private security companies and militias is growing exponentially and accounts for up to a fifth of the funds spent on Afghan reconstruction. The CIC report, called The Public Cost of Private Security in Afghanistan, says many of the troop contingents in NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) use private militias not only to guard their camps and secure convoys, but also for "black ops", including detention and interrogation. The militias function entirely outside Afghan law, which bans unlicensed armed groups, nor is there any legal basis for their employment in the "status of forces agreement" with the Kabul government, the CIC says in its report. "The absence of effective oversight of the private security sector in Afghanistan undermines the credibility and safety of the government and the international stabilization effort," the report argues.