Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Dissolves Interpol Structure
Abdul Mateen Qane, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, confirmed that the Interpol police structure has been removed from the ministry. He did not provide further details on how this decision was carried out.
Najib-ur-Rahman Shamal, an international relations expert, said: “The Interpol structure that was removed from the Ministry of Interior should not have been dissolved this way. If there were economic difficulties, the ministry should have approached Interpol for assistance, and international organizations might have supported this effort.”
Earlier reports had suggested that the leader of the Islamic Emirate had dissolved the Interpol police structures in both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Some military analysts argue that this dissolution should not be interpreted as a reduction of Afghanistan’s commitment to international cooperation, but rather as part of a broader review of security structures and alignment with the Islamic Emirate’s new policies.
They believe that although Interpol played a key role in combating cross-border crimes, pursuing international criminals, and tackling human and drug trafficking, the Islamic Emirate could fill this gap through new mechanisms or bilateral cooperation with other countries.
Sayed Ebadullah Sadeq, a political analyst, said: “Combating drug trafficking, global terrorism, money laundering, and cybercrime are among Interpol’s responsibilities. Without Interpol, our domestic police are not trained enough to handle such challenges.”
Interpol police, a branch of the International Criminal Police Organization, was responsible for coordinating Afghanistan’s security and criminal communications with other countries within the framework of the Ministry of Interior. This body was tasked with identifying and pursuing internationally wanted individuals, combating organized crime, terrorism, and international trafficking.
Afghanistan became a member of Interpol on October 21, 2002, and according to some reports, around 120 personnel in the Ministry of Interior and 30 more in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been working under its framework.
