Afghan National Police Pashto: د افغانستان ملي پولیس Dari: پولیس ملی افغانستان | |
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Abbreviation | ANP |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1709 |
Employees | 200,000 (April 2023)[1] |
Jurisdictional structure | |
National agency | Afghanistan |
Operations jurisdiction | Afghanistan |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Kabul, Afghanistan |
Agency executive |
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The Afghan National Police (ANP; Pashto: د افغانستان ملي پولیس; Dari: پولیس ملی افغانستان), also known as the Afghan Police, is the national police force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, serving as a single law enforcement agency all across the country. The Afghan Border Police, which has stations along the nation's border and at major airports, is a separate component of the force.[2] The ANP is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior Affairs in Kabul, Afghanistan, and is headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani. It has nearly 200,000 members as of April 2023.[1] Although the GDI are also a part of the secret police agency of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan after the Fall of Kabul in August 2021, and the GCPSU are the special police forces.
The Afghan police traces its roots to the early 18th century when the Hotak dynasty was established in Kandahar followed by Ahmad Shah Durrani's rise to power. It became a strong organized force after 1880 when Emir Abdur Rahman Khan established diplomatic relations with British India. In the 1980s it began receiving training and equipment from the former Soviet Union.
During the presidency of Hamid Karzai, several government agencies from the United States as well as Germany's Bundespolizei (BPOL) and the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence Police began providing training. In 2007, the EU-led mission (EUPOL Afghanistan) was heading the civilian policing in Kabul while the United States began establishing training programs in all provinces of Afghanistan. The Afghan police have received basic training from U.S.-led NATO forces.[3][4] After the fall of Kabul in August 2021, the Afghan police was reorganized and Taliban militants including members of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's secret police were integrated into its ranks.
Interior Ministry: Police Reach Nearly 200,000 Members
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