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National Directorate of Security

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The National Directorate of Security (NDS; Pashto: د ملي امنیت لوی ریاست; Dari: ریاست عمومی امنیت ملی) was the national intelligence and security service of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.[3] The headquarters of the NDS was in Kabul, and it had field offices and training facilities in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.[4] The NDS was part of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).[5][6]

National Directorate of Security
Pashto: د ملي امنیت لوی ریاست
Dari: ریاست عمومی امنیت ملی
Seal of the National Directorate of Security
Agency overview
Formed2002; 22 years ago (2002)
Preceding agency
Dissolved2021
Superseding agency
HeadquartersKabul, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
EmployeesClassified, estimated to have 15,000 to 30,000 agents.[1]
Annual budgetClassified
Agency executive
WebsiteOfficial twitter

The NDS was mandated to investigate cases and incidents that affect Afghan national security and to fight terrorism.[7] According to the Law on Crimes against Internal and External Security of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, the agency was tasked to investigate cases involving "national treason, espionage, terrorism, sabotage, propaganda against the Government, war propaganda, assisting enemy forces, and organised activity against internal and external security".[8]

As the primary intelligence organ of Afghanistan, the NDS shared information about regional terrorism and major crimes with the Afghan ministries and provincial governors.[9]

Its activities were regulated according to the National Security Law.[7] The agency was dissolved in 2021 after the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021).

History

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The National Directorate of Security was founded as the primary domestic and foreign intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2002, and is considered the successor to KHAD,[9] which was the previous intelligence organization before the Afghan Civil War (1992–2001). The CIA was responsible for assisting the Afghan government to establish the NDS.[10]

On January 16, 2013, the Taliban targeted the NDS compound in Kabul in a suicide bombing, followed by small arms fire.[11] In 2016, the NDS compound in Kabul was targeted in a bombing attack at the city's Puli Mahmood Khan neighborhood.[12] The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.[12]

On February 18, 2018, the NDS suffered a rare attack from Taliban sympathizers when four of its own agents attacked an NDS facility in Gerishk District.[13] On March 18, 2018, a joint command made up of NDS' Quick Reaction Forces (QRF) and Afghan Army Special Forces units were formed.[14]

After the fall of Kabul to Taliban fighters, many NDS agents and other personnel fled to India, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in order to hide.[15] The NDS' 01 unit reportedly made a deal with the United States to assist with security at Hamid Karzai International Airport in exchange for being airlifted out of Afghanistan.[16] Human Rights Watch reported that the Taliban have been engaged to look for NDS agents hiding in Afghanistan.[17]

As of August 20, 2021, the NDS' last director Ahmad Saraj is reportedly hiding from the Taliban in London.[18] On October 26, 2021, the Taliban announced the establishment of the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), replacing the NDS.[19][20]

On January 7, 2022, female NDS agents reported that they're in danger of being targeted by the Taliban a year after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan.[21] On October-December 2022, it was reported that ex-NDS agents were being secretly recruited to assist in Russia's fight in Ukraine.[22][23] Iran and Wagner contractors were said to be involved in convincing them to head to Ukraine.[24] They were offered $1,500 to $2,000 a month and $3,000 for every child below 18 with a promise of Russian citizenship. Around 270 ex-NDS personnel and their immediate families were said to have accepted the offer.[22]

There are reports of some NDS agents joining up with ISIS-K due to being hunted by the Taliban in 2022 and not being able to escape Afghanistan safely.[25] A letter from ex-NDS personnel in November 2021 denies supposed allegations that they have joined forces with ISIS-K.[26]

In August 2023, surviving NDS Zero unit operators in the U.S. denied that they were ordered to shoot at civilians as they were strictly instructed by CIA officers not to do so while trained to follow all rules of war.[27] Ex-ZU officer Nasir Andar reported that some of his colleagues committed suicide due to the long bureaucratic process where their expedited immigration assistance has been very long.[27]

Known operations

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NDS soldier conducting a search in the village of Salar, Wardak province during Operation Talon Spinzar in October 2010

After the ouster of the Taliban in 2002, the NDS warned ISI about exiled militant commanders and al-Qaeda operatives hiding in Pakistan. In early 2006, intelligence gathered from NDS detainees suggested Osama bin Laden resided in the western Pakistan town of Mansehra. A classified NDS paper completed in May, titled "Strategy of the Taliban," claimed ISI and Saudi Arabia restarted active support for the Taliban in 2005. Pakistan's military leadership sought to weaken and delegitimize Hamid Karzai's government, in order to prevent an alliance between Afghanistan and India.[28]

In 2007, NDS used arrests and interrogations to discover the majority of suicide bombings in Afghanistan originated among Pashtuns from Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.[29]

In 2011, BOST 170 operators worked with Task Force Helmand’s Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF) in Khosh Kowa to search and seize ammonium nitrate.[30] In 2012, BOST 170 operators were deployed in Khoshkaba area, Lahkar Gah to seize ammonium nitrate and TNT explosives.[31]

In October 2013, the US inadvertently discovered a covert relationship between the NDS and the Pakistani Taliban (the Pakistani Taliban being a separate, but ideologically aligned organization from the Afghan Taliban). During a raid on an Afghan convoy, US Special Forces intercepted a senior Pakistani Taliban militant, Latif Mehsud, being escorted to Kabul. Initially, the Afghan government claimed he was a peace convoy, but later admitted that the plan was to support the Pakistani Taliban as retaliation against Pakistan for backing the Afghan Taliban. When confronted about the incident, Afghan officials stated that their objective was to persuade Pakistan's ISI to cease supporting Afghan insurgents by having the NDS provide similar assistance to insurgents in western Pakistan.[32]

During the April 2014 Afghan Presidential Election, the NDS, under Rahmatullah Nabil, collected thousands of signals intelligence indicating Ashraf Ghani's allies organized massive electoral fraud.[33]

In April 2015, the NDS seized an arms cache in Baghkak village, Sayed Abad District and detained two suspected insurgents.[34]

On May 30, 2015, the NDS worked with the Afghan Army to seize 16 tons of explosives meant for a bombing attack in Kabul.[35]

The NDS has had a degree of success, including capturing Maulvi Faizullah,[36] a notable Taliban leader, and foiling an assassination attempt against Abdul Rashid Dostum in 2014.[37]

The NDS captured Aslam Farooqi, the chief of ISIS-K, on April 4, 2020.[38] Farooqi was captured in a NDS special forces raid.[39] On December 4, 2020, the NDS busted a 10-man cell consisting of Chinese nationals linked to the Ministry of State Security, who were subsequently arrested for trying to build up connections to the Haqqani Network.[40] Indian Research and Analysis Wing provided tips to the NDS, which led to the arrest.[41]

Controversies

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On December 26, 2009, a report was filed by HRW regarding the suspicious death of Abdul Basir, who was said to beaten while in custody despite statements from the NDS that he tried to kill himself.[42]

On July 9, 2011, an off-duty NDS agent in Panjshir shot a contractor and a NATO soldier.[43]

Organization

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The NDS was part of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and reported directly to the Office of the President.[6][5][44] Some NDS personnel were seconded to the Kta Khas alongside Afghan police officers.[45]

NDS-related facilities were found all over Afghanistan, including in Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost and Laghman.[46]

The agency was divided into departments and units that were known by numbers.[10] Around 30 departments were known to be operational before it became defunct.[4]

  • Number 018 - Internal Security (Formerly Number 034 as of 2011)
  • Number 040 - Investigations (Formerly Number 017 as of 2011)
  • Number 124[note 1] - Counter-Terrorism (Formerly Number 090 as of 2011)
    • BOST 170 - NDS' counterterrorism unit.[47] Created in 2008 with British assistance.[48]
  • D011 - A secretive unit formed with GCHQ mentorship/assistance to monitor electronic communications.[22][49] As of 2022, 78 members were still hiding from the Taliban in Afghanistan.[49]
  • Division 915 (Shamshad) - A secretive unit formed with DGSE mentorship/assistance.[50]
  • Special Forces - Divided to four regional operational areas. They're known to have close working relationships with the CIA.[51]
  • National Strike Unit or Zero Unit[27] - Black ops unit of the NDS. It consists of an intelligence, analysis and operational unit.[52]
  • Quick Reaction Force[48]
  • Sangorian - The NDS commands the militia after it was raised in 2016.[53] They were involved in the 2021 Taliban offensive.[54]

NSU Area of Responsibility

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NDS Unit[55] Area of Responsibility[55]
NDS 01 Central region (Kabul, Parwan, Wardak, Logar)
NDS 02 Eastern region (Nangahar)
NDS 03[note 2] Southern region (Kandahar)
NDS 04 Northeast (Nuristan, Kunar)

Directors and deputy heads

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Criticism

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In 2015, the NDS was criticized for allowing its special forces personnel to act as bodyguards for some Afghan politicians, but NDS officials justified their role as a security precaution.[58]

In 2018, the agency was criticized for deploying inexperienced officers to collect intelligence related to national security matters.[59] This was a product of massive failures to cooperate with the other parts of the government.[60]

The agency has been accused of human rights violations against detainees, including children.[61]

During the airlift operations in Kabul after the capital was captured by the Taliban, NDS 01 operators were accused of harassing Afghans of Hazara origin.[16]

Notes

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  1. ^ It's sometimes known as Number 241.
  2. ^ Said to be known as the Kandahar Strike Force or KSF[56]

References

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  1. ^ European Asylum Support Office (August 2020). Afghanistan - State Structure and Security Forces - Country of Origin Information Report. Publications Office of the European Union. p. 36. ISBN 9789294856500. Retrieved 29 August 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  2. ^ a b Says, Khan Saheb (9 September 2019). "New acting chief introduced for the intelligence directorate of Afghanistan". The Khaama Press News Agency. Khaama Press. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  3. ^ "Afghanistan". INTERPOL. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Who is who in Afghanistan?". www.afghan-bios.info. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  5. ^ a b "Developing Afghan security forces". North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 3 December 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Afghanistan (2017)". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 24 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018.
  7. ^ a b UNAMA&OHCHR 2011, p. 14.
  8. ^ United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan; UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (October 2011). Treatment of Conflict-Related Detainees in Afghan Custody (PDF). United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Report). Kabul. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  9. ^ a b c BBC (14 August 2011). "Afghanistan's dysfunctional security agencies". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
  10. ^ a b European Asylum Support Office 2020, p. 36.
  11. ^ "Afghanistan's NDS spy agency HQ hit by deadly Taliban suicide, gun attack". CBS News. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Taliban claims responsibility for deadly blast in central Kabul". FRANCE 24. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  13. ^ Gul, Ayaz (11 February 2018). "Rare Insider Attack Kills 16 Afghan Intelligence Operatives in Helmand". VOA News. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  14. ^ "NDS QRF and Army Special Forces joint Command inaugurated". Khaama Press. 10 March 2018.
  15. ^ Dutta, Sharangee (17 August 2021). Roy, Avik (ed.). "Taliban were 'catching and killing us': Afghan intel officer who fled to Delhi on last flight from Kabul". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  16. ^ a b Hassan, Sharif; Huylebroek, Jim (20 August 2021). "Amid Desperation at Kabul Airport, Evacuation Picks Up Pace - In the bedlam at Kabul's airport, having the right papers does not mean getting in". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  17. ^ "Taliban Committing 'Revenge Killings' Against Former Afghan Security Forces, Says HRW". 30 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Head of Afghanistan's National Security Has Reportedly Taken Refuge in London". 20 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Taliban's Spy Agency: The General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI)". 26 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Afghan provincial intelligence chief killed in road accident". 7 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Thousands of Afghan female ex-national security agents trapped 'at risk from Taliban". Independent.co.uk. 7 January 2022.
  22. ^ a b c Nicholls, Dominic (9 December 2022). "British-trained Afghan spies joining Russian troops because they feel left behind by UK". The Telegraph.
  23. ^ "Ex-Afghan Commandos Fighting for Russia in Ukraine: Last Afghan Army Boss (Updated)". 26 October 2022.
  24. ^ https://central.asia-news.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_ca/features/2022/11/24/feature-02 [bare URL]
  25. ^ "Countering a Resurgent Terrorist Threat in Afghanistan".
  26. ^ "Letter Allegedly by Ex-NDS Members Denies Allegiance With Daesh". TOLOnews. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  27. ^ a b c "Afghans who fought in secret CIA-trained force face legal limbo". NBC News. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  28. ^ Coll, Steve (2018). Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. New York: Penguin Press. pp. 214–217.
  29. ^ Coll, Steve (2018). Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. New York: Penguin Press. pp. 260–265.
  30. ^ "Afghan forces find biggest ever haul of bomb-making chemical".
  31. ^ "HGMC Releases - 05.15.2012".
  32. ^ Rosenberg, Matthew (29 October 2013). "U.S. Disrupts Afghans' Tack on Militants". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  33. ^ Coll, Steve (2018). Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. New York: Penguin Press. pp. 649–651.
  34. ^ "Afghan National Security Forces, National Directorate of Security detain 2 insurgents and seize weap | Resolute Support Mission". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  35. ^ "Deadly attacks foiled in Kabul, 16 tons of explosives seized". Khaama Press. 30 May 2015.
  36. ^ Ahmad, Shah Erfanyar (11 July 2015). "NDS claims Quetta Shura member held in Kabul". Pajhwok Afghan News. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016.
  37. ^ Donati, Jessica; Harooni, Mirwais (22 March 2015). Liffey, Kevin (ed.). "Afghan intelligence agency says it foiled attempt to kill vice-president". Reuters. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  38. ^ Philip, Snehesh Alex (2020-04-10). "Islamabad's claim over Kabul gurdwara bomber 'reeks of Pakistani conspiracy to save him'". ThePrint. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  39. ^ "Afghan intelligence operators capture the leader of ISIS in Afghanistan". 7 April 2020.
  40. ^ Gupta, Shishir (25 December 2020). "Apologise, Afghanistan tells China after busting its espionage cell in Kabul". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  41. ^ Mehrdad, Ezzatullah (17 February 2021). "Did China Build a Spy Network in Kabul?". The Diplomat. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  42. ^ "Afghanistan: Investigate Death in Custody". 21 December 2009.
  43. ^ Qaim, Ahmad (9 July 2011). "Afghan agent kills NATO soldier and civilian in Panjshir". Reuters. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  44. ^ European Asylum Support Office 2020, pp. 35–36.
  45. ^ "This Shadowy Afghan Unit Fights Alongside America's Most Elite Forces". 9 May 2017.
  46. ^ UNAMA&OHCHR 2011, p. 16.
  47. ^ "Elite Afghan force destroys insurgent explosives cache | FDD's Long War Journal". 22 August 2011.
  48. ^ a b "Afganistan Who is Who (3)".
  49. ^ a b Nicholls, Dominic (2022-01-24). "Save us, beg the GCHQ-trained Afghan spies still in hiding from the Taliban". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  50. ^ "Were Afghan spies working for French secret cell 'left to die' at hands of Taliban?". 12 April 2023.
  51. ^ Antonio, De Lauri (8 Jun 2020). "Armed governance: the case of the CIA-supported Afghan militia" (PDF). Small Wars & Insurgencies. 32 (3): 495. ISSN 1743-9558. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  52. ^ "Database". www.afghan-bios.info. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  53. ^ "The Sangorian: Weakening the Taliban from within". Jamestown.
  54. ^ https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/sangorians-take-a-page-from-insurgent-playbook-in-fight-against-taliban/news-story/dfc84a3f0507f9549139d44e3584600f [bare URL]
  55. ^ a b "CIA-backed strike force units in Afghanistan". Afghanistan Analysts Network. 9 Apr 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  56. ^ "Database".
  57. ^ Carlotta Gall, ed. (August 19, 2010). "New Afghan Intelligence Chief Aims to Build Trust". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  58. ^ "Experts Criticize Use of NDS Special Forces As Guards for Elite". TOLOnews. 5 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-08-13. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  59. ^ European Asylum Support Office 2020, pp. 36–37.
  60. ^ Mishra, Anant (3 January 2018). "Strengthening Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security: Is it Equipped to Counter 'Emerging' Threats?". Small Wars Journal. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  61. ^ UNAMA&OHCHR 2011, pp. 2, 21, 32, 34.

Further reading

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