In late 2009 I travelled to the unstable Wardak province with an Afghan-American journalist. We wanted to meet former Taliban who are now working for the government as part of the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF or AP3) and to have a close look at the first experiment of a strategy that is now spreading in other parts of the country.

The program was established in early 2009 in response to a shortfall of troops in the Afghan army and police and the worsening security situation. Wardak is a crucial province just outside the capital Kabul. It is bisected by the country’s main national highway. In the last few years the Taliban staged a comeback leaving government control tenuous except in the district centre.

Militias have come back in fashion over the past years and are used in important areas where the government is in danger of losing control. This is all done in an attempt to quickly provide some forces to fill the gap while additional Afghan National Army and Police are being trained.
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