Afghan National Security Forces

The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), also known as the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), were the military and internal security forces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.^[1][2]

As of 30 June 2020, the ANSF was composed of the Afghan National Army (including the Afghan Border Force, Afghan Air Force, Afghan Territorial Army, Afghan National Civil Order Force), Afghan National Police (including Afghan Local Police), and the National Directorate of Security (including the Afghan Special Force).^[2]

In August 2021, after the Taliban captured the Afghan capital Kabul and other major cities, US President Joe Biden stated that the "Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight," and that "we [the United States of America] gave them every tool they could need."^[3][4] In an Al Jazeera editorial Abdul Basit wrote that the forces "preferred to save their lives by surrendering to the Taliban under its amnesty offers".^[5] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Afghan government forces "fought bravely," but "ultimately, the Afghan political leadership failed to stand up to the Taliban and to achieve the peaceful solution that Afghans desperately wanted."^[6] International Security Assistance Force trainers additionally called the Afghan military "incompetent and unmotivated."^[7]

Structure circa 2020

The Afghan National Security Forces consisted of

• Ministry of Defence^[8]
  • Afghan National Army (ANA):^[9] In December 2020 the U.S. Department of Defense wrote that the ANA General Staff commanded and controlled all of Afghanistan’s ground and air forces, including "the ANA conventional forces, the Afghan Air Force (AAF), the Special Mission Wing (SMW), the ANA Special Operations Command (ANASOC), the Afghan National Civil Order Force (ANCOF), and the Afghan Border Force (ABF). In total, the ANA consisted of 27 combat brigades, three combat air wings, four branch and basic training schools, seven ANCOF brigades, seven ABF brigades, and additional support facilities such as depots and hospitals."^[10]
• Ministry of Interior Affairs^[11]
  • Afghan National Police (ANP)^[12]
    • Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP)^[12]
    • Public Security Police (PSP)^[12]
    • Afghan Border Police (ABP)^[12]
    • General Directorate for Intelligence and Counter Crime (GDICC) (formerly Afghan Anti-Crime Police (AACP))^[13]
    • Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF)^[13]
    • Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA)^[13]
    • Afghan Local Police (ALP)^[14][15]
  • General Command of Police Special Units (GCPSU)^[16][17]
    • Afghan Territorial Force (ATF) 444^[16][17]
    • Crisis Response Unit (CRU) 222^[16][18][17]
    • Commando Force (CF) 333^[16][18][17] (formerly Afghan Special Narcotics Force)^[19]

NATO special operations forces trained, advised and assisted the ANASOC, SMW and GCPSU who were collectively known as the Afghan Special Security Forces (ASSF).^[20][21][22] The ASSF was described as the "ANDSF’s primary offensive forces".^[22]

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) was the state intelligence and security service and was part of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.^[23] The NDS reported directly to the Office of President.^[24]

See also

• Afghanistan portal

• Afghan Armed Forces
• Law enforcement in Afghanistan