The Governors of Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan, Kapisa, Panjsher and Parwan provinces met on Wednesday with national and provincial security officials in Mahmud Raqi, the capital of Kapisa province, to discuss the state of security in their provinces over the past three months.
General Bismillah Khan Muhammadi, the Minister of Defense, Mujtaba Patang, the Interior Minister, and the Police Chiefs of the represented provinces gathered to meet with the Governors.
Although many concerns were raised, overall, the sentiment amongst the Governors and the security officials was that major improvements were being made and the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) were gaining ground in their abilities to subdue malefactors and maintain security.
"Our assessments of the seven provinces were satisfactory. The armed militants are trying their best to sabotage the peaceful life in these areas through coordinated attacks. However, the ANSF has managed to foil the majority of their plans," said Gen. Muhammadi.
Nevertheless, the Defense Minister still had many concerns about the proliferation of Illegal Armed Groups (IAGs) in the northeast and the assistance he believed insurgents in the area were receiving from intelligence agencies in neighboring countries. Mr. Muhammadi claimed that foreign governments were looking to increase instability in Afghanistan ahead of the elections, scheduled for April 5, 2014.
This past Sunday, local Baghlan officials said that IAGs posed the single greatest threat to the province.
Two weeks ago, an Afghan National Army operation in Nangarhar province successfully targeted foreign militants. A number of Pakistani, Chechen, Arab and Uzbek nationals were killed and captured in the operation. Many Afghan officials have expressed specific suspicions that the Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, has been involved in supporting insurgent activity in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Mirdad Nejrabi, the Chairman of the Parliament's Internal Security Commission (ISC), said that meetings like the one held in Mahmud Raqi on Wednesday are a way to create better coordination between the security institutions and review the progress made by them.
"Such meetings will help us prepare a strategy for the ANSF so that they can fight against the militants in an efficient manner. It also a way to create good governance across the country and improve the capabilities of the ANSF," said Mr. Nejrabi.
Afghan forces have recently launched a series of successful clearing operations in provinces across the country. Just last week, an ANSF operation in northern Baghlan province resulted in the deaths of 17 insurgents, wounding of five and capture of nine others.
The security transition process from NATO forces to Afghan ones started two years ago, and so far 90 percent of security responsibilities have been reportedly handed over to the Afghan forces. NATO officials have repeatedly voiced their confidence in the improving capabilities of the ANSF and have assured Afghans and people back in their own countries that the ANSF will be prepared to assume complete security oversight once the NATO combat mission ends in 2014.