Counterinsurgency, Local Militias, and Statebuilding in Afghanistan

by Jonathan Goodhand and Aziz Hakimi

Arming local defense forces in Afghanistan has had mixed and often perverse effects on the security of local populations, according to this study on the role and impact of the Afghan Local Police in three provinces. These findings suggest that, as international forces draw down, the ALP will require stronger state oversight and absorption into the national police force.