Crimes have posed a huge headache for Afghan people besides terrorist activities. Criminal networks have vexed people in large parts of the country, especially in major cities. Violent crimes, from abduction to armed robberies, phone-snatchings, mugging, murders and carjacking, have become a matter of routine across the country. There are many criminal networks about which the government and security agencies have enough information, but they do not go after them. The disclosure of the list of criminals by the Ministry of Interior a few months ago is a proof. Instead of hunting down the criminals, the Ministry of Interior released the list of the criminals and urged them to hand themselves in to security organs.
The fight against terror and militant groups enjoying foreign state support and safe havens is difficult and Afghan government may have some justifications for its failure in this area; however, there is no justification for its failure to clamp down on and dismantle criminal gangs. The resources at the disposal of security agencies now are more than enough to prevent organized crimes. If the government leadership has a strong political will to combat criminal bands, the citizens will witness a sharp decline in crime rate.
In capital Kabul as one of the most populated cities of the country, most of the crimes are committed by individuals whose whereabouts and affiliations are fully known to the security agencies. The revelation of the list of criminals showed that the government knows them, but does not dare to act against them. There may be several reasons behind the clement response of security institutions against criminals, but the main factor is the lack of trust in the support from government leadership. Even if some security officials have a resolve to crack down on criminals, they do not dare do it because they are not sure if the government will support them in the battle. Their clampdown on criminals wins them personal enmity, which makes the fight difficult for them to continue later on. In some instances, even senior government officials step in to protect the criminals, further complicating the job for security agencies. Thus, security officials become skeptical of the government’s political will which weakens their sense of responsibility. If government leaders lack the ability and resources to fight terrorism, at least they should take concrete steps to protect their people from the vicious cycle of crimes.
