The Afghan Border Force (ABF) was responsible for security of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

's border area with neighboring countries extending up to into the interior and formed part of the

Afghan National Army Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pa ...

. In December 2017, most of the Afghan Border Police (ABP) personnel of the

Afghan National Police The Afghan National Police (ANP; ps, د افغانستان ملي پولیس; prs, پلیس ملی افغانستان), is the national police force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, serving as a single law enforcement agency all across ...

were transferred to the Afghan National Army to form the Afghan Border Force. The ABP retained 4,000 personnel for customs operations at border crossings and international airports such as checking documents of foreigners entering the country or deporting them. The ABF's, and its predecessor the ABP, anti-narcotic efforts were a prominent concern to the international community during the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

. The ABF, and the ABP in its former role, patrolled a 50 km-wide corridor along the entirety of Afghanistan's border, particularly the long and porous

Durand Line The Durand Line ( ps, د ډیورنډ کرښه; ur, ), forms the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, a international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to th ...

border in the southeast with neighboring

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Organization

The ABP fell under the command of the

(ANP) which was under the administrative control of the Ministry of Interior Affairs. The ABP was headquartered in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Ac ...

, in the nation's capital, and was commanded by a

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. Prior to 2017, the Afghan Border Police divided command of its 23,000 members across 6 zones to protect 14 Border Crossing Points and 5 Major Airports.

Mazar-e-Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ...
(Northern Zone)

New training program begins at Afghan border

Afghan border crossing at Sher Khan in Kunduz Province-3

Faryab Province Faryab (Dari: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, which is located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. It has a population of about 1,109,223, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a tribal society. The pr ...

** Almar District ** Shirin Tagab District ** Dawlat Abad District ** Qaramqol District ** Andkhoy District ** Khani Chahar Bagh District * Jowzjan Province ** Khwaja du koh District ** Khamyab District ** Qarqin District *

Balkh Province Balkh ( Dari: , ''Balx'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It is divided into 15 districts and has a population of about 1,509,183, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a Persian-speaking society. The ...

** Shortepa District ** Kaldar District *

Kunduz Province Qunduz (Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northern part of the country next to Tajikistan. The population of the province is around 1,136,677, which is mostly a tribal society; it is one of Afghanistan's most ethni ...

Qalay-I-Zal District Qalay-I-Zal District (), also spelled Qala-i-Zal, is situated in the western part of Kunduz Province, northern Afghanistan. It borders Balkh Province to the west and Tajikistan to the north along the Panj, Vakhsh and Amu Darya rivers. To the eas ...

Imam Sahib District Imam Sahib District () is situated in the northern part of Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. It borders with Qalay-I-Zal District to the west, Tajikistan to the north (along the Panj river), with Archi District to the east and Kunduz District to the s ...

Fayzabad Faizabad (Hindustani pronunciation: ɛːzaːbaːd is a city situated near the southern banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The area of this Faizabad region is administered by Ayodhya Municipal Cor ...
(Northeastern Zone)

Takhar Province Takhar ( Dari , Farsi/Pashto: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeast of the country next to Tajikistan. It is surrounded by Badakhshan in the east, Panjshir in the south, and Baghlan and Kunduz in t ...

Khwaja Ghar District Khwaja Ghar District is a district of Takhar Province, Afghanistan. The district was badly destroyed during the 1996-2001 Afghan Civil War in fighting between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. Geography Khwaja Ghar has an area of 402 s ...

Yangi Qala District Yangi Qala District is a district in Takhar Province, Afghanistan. Economically the population of this district is primarily involved in agriculture. The main crops are rice and wheat, and the surplus rice is exporting to neighboring districts an ...

** Sarqad District **

Chah Ab District Chah Ab District (Persian: ولسوالی چاه آب) is a district of Takhar Province, Afghanistan. Its district center is Chah Ab. The district's economy is primarily based on agriculture and livestock. Geography Chah Ab has an area of 764 k ...

Badakhshan Province Badakhshan Province ( Persian/ Uzbek: , ''Badaxšān'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan in the north and the Pakistani regions of Lower ...

Shahri Buzurg District Shahri Buzurg also spelled as Shahr-e Bozorg ( fa, شهر بزرگ) is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan province in eastern Afghanistan. The capital is the city of Shahr-e Bozorg. Its northwestern border is along the international border b ...

** Yawan District ** Ragh District ** Kuf Ab District **

Shekay District Shekay or Shikai is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan Province in northeastern Afghanistan. It was created in 2005 from part of Darwaz District and is home to approximately 26,000 residents. This district borders Nusay and Kuf Ab di ...

** Darwaz district ** Darvaz-e Bala District ** Shighnan District ** Ishkashim District **

Wakhan District Wakhan District is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan Province in eastern Afghanistan. The district has a border with neighboring Tajikistan in the north, Xinjiang in China to the east, and Pakistan to the south (specifically Gilgit-Baltista ...

** Zebak District ** Kuran wa Munjan District

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلال‌آباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jal ...
(Eastern Zone)

Afghan-Pakistani at the Friendship Gate in Spin Boldak

Nuristan Province Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan ( Dari: ; Kamkata-vari: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, ...

Bargi Matal District Bargi Matal District (Barge Matal District, Bragamatal District, Kamkata-vari: , ps, برګ مټال ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی برگ متال) is a district of Nuristan Province, Afghanistan.

** Kamdesh District *

Kunar Province Kunar (Pashto: ; Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. Its population is estimated to be 508,224. Kunar's major political groups include Wahhabis or Ahl-e- Ha ...

** Nari District ** Dangam District ** Marawara District ** Sirkanay District ** Khas Kunar District * Nangarhar Province **

Goshta District Goshta District is located in the northeast of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan and borders Durand Line between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The district's population is Pashtun and was estimated at 160,000 in 2002, of whom 30,000 were children unde ...

Lal Pur District Lal Pur is a district in eastern Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan. Its population is primarily Pashtun and estimated to be 34,516 in 2002 (including 13,800 children under 12). The district center is the village of Lal Pur ...

** Momand Dara District ** Dur Baba District ** Achin District **

Dih Bala District Haska Meyna ( ps, هسکه مېنه), also called Deh Bala District, is a district in the south of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, bordering on Pakistan. Its population, which is 100% Pashtuns, was estimated at 50,595 in 2002, of whom 20,200 we ...

** Pachir Wa Agam District ** Khogyani District ** Sherzad District

Gardez , settlement_type =City , image_skyline =gardez_paktya.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption =The Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_se ...
(Southeastern Zone)

* Paktia Province **

Azra District Azra District is a district of Logar Province, Afghanistan. It is located in the eastern part of the district and is 140 km from the capital Kabul. It was moved from Paktia Province Paktia (Pashto/Dari: – ''Paktyā'') is one of the ...

** Zazi District ** Dand Wa Patan District *

Khost Province Khost (Pashto/ Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southeastern part of the country. Khost consists of thirteen districts and the city of Khost serves as the capital of the province. To the east, Khost Province is b ...

Jaji Maydan District Zazi Maidan District ( ps, ځاځي ميدان ولسوالۍ), or Jaji Maidan or Dzadzi Maidan, is located in the northeastern part of Khost Province, Afghanistan. It borders Bak District to the west, Paktia Province to the north, and the Kurram A ...

** Bak District ** Tirazayi District ** Khost District **

Gurbuz District Gurbuz District ( ps, ګربز ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی گربز) is situated in the southeast part of Khost Province, Afghanistan. It borders Tani District to the west, Mando Zayi and Khost districts to the north and Khyber Pakhtunkh ...

Tani District Tani District ( ps, تڼي ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی تنی) is situated in the southern part of Khost Province, Afghanistan. It borders Spera District to the west, Nadir Shah Kot and Mando Zayi to the north, Gurbuz District to the eas ...

Spera District Spera District is situated in the most southwestern part of Khost Province, Afghanistan. It borders with Paktia Province to the south and west, Shamal District to the north. The district is within the heartland of the Zadran tribe of Pashtuns. To ...

Paktika Province Paktika (Pashto/ Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktika has a population of about 789,000, mostly ethnic Pashtuns. The town of Sharan ...

Ziruk District Zerok District ( ps, زېړوک ولسوالۍ), also spelled Zirok, is a district of Paktika Province that once was a part of Paktia, Afghanistan. The main town is Zerok located on the main Khost-Urgun road. Zerok is a remote district of P ...

Urgon District Urgun ( ps, ارګون ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی ارگون) is a district of the remote Paktika Province in Afghanistan. Administrative seat The administrative seat of this district is the like-named town of Urgun, also known as ''Loy ...

Gayan District Gayan District ( ps, ګيان ولسوالۍ, prs, ولسوالی گیان) is a district of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. The estimated population in 2019 was 46,977 people. The district is within the heartland of the Zadran tribe of Pashtuns. ...

Barmal District Barmal District ( ps, برمل ولسوالۍ, prs, ولسوالی برمل) is a district of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It shares a border with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Pakistan. The Angur Ada is the official border checkpoint a ...

** Gomal District ** Wor Mamay District

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ...
(Southern Zone)

Zabul Province Zabul (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a population of 249,000. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Zabu ...

** Shamulzayi District ** Atghar District *

Kandahar Province Kandahār ( ps, ; Kandahār, prs, ; ''Qandahār'') is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southern part of the country, sharing a border with Pakistan, to the south. It is surrounded by Helmand in the west, Uruzga ...

** Maruf District ** Arghistan District ** Spin Boldak District **

Shorabak District Shorabak District (also Shorawak ) is a remote district situated in the southeastern part of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, 110 km south and east of Kandahar. It borders Reg District to the west, Spin Boldak District to the north and Pak ...

** Reg District *

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...

Garmsir District Garmsir District (or Garmser; ps, ګرمسير; from Persian گرمسیر, meaning "hot place") is located in the southern part of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The district is large, but all the villages are along the Helmand River. The rest is ...

** Dishu District *

Nimruz Province Nimruz or Nimroz (Dari: ; Balochi: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country. It lies to the east of the Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran and north of Balochistan, Pakistan, also borderi ...

** Chahar Burjak District ** Zaranj District ** Kang District

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Saf ...
(Western Zone)

Farah Province Farah (Dari: , ''Farā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country next to Iran. It is a spacious and sparsely populated province, divided into eleven districts and contains hundreds of villages. ...

** Lash Wa Juwayn District **

Shib Koh District Shib Koh is a district in Farah Province, Afghanistan which borders Iran. Its population, which is 50% Pashtun and 45% Tajik Tajik, Tadjik, Tadzhik or Tajikistani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Tajikistan * Tajiks, an ethn ...

** Qala i Kah District ** Anar Dara District *

Herat Province Herat ( Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city ...

** Adraskan District ** Ghoryan District ** Kohsan District ** Gulran District ** Kushk District ** Kushki Kuhna District *

Badghis Province Bādghīs (Dari: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northwest of the country, on the border with Turkmenistan. It is considered to be one of the country's most underdeveloped provinces, with the highest poverty r ...

** Ab Kamari District ** Muqur District **

Murghab District Bala murghab (Pashto/ fa, script=latn, Bala Murġāb) is a district situated in the northeast of Badghis Province, Afghanistan. The district capital is Bala Murghab city which is located along the Murghab River. Bala Murghab is surrounded by some ...

Ghormach District Ghormach ( ps, غورماچ ولسوالۍ) is a district situated in the north of Badghis Province, Afghanistan. The district centre is Ghormach. Demographics The estimated population of Ghormach District in 2003 was roughly 52,566. Based upon t ...

The majority of the Afghan Border Police officers were trained by the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

and various Federal government employees as well as by the European Union Police Mission (EUPOL). In order to prepare for their duties as ABP, recruits attended an 8-week course designed by the German Bundespolizei (BPOL). Also Italy provided qualified training to ABP personnel in West Region by TF GRIFO deployed in Herat by the

Guardia di Finanza The ''Guardia di Finanza'' (G. di F. or GdF) () ( English: literal: ''Guard of Finance'', paraphrased: ''Financial Police'' or ''Financial Guard'') is an Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. I ...

. The BPOL were still heavily involved in mentoring ABP officers as of 2009. In January 2011, there were at least 25 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers providing training to the Afghan Border Police. Homeland Security Secretary

Janet Napolitano Janet Ann Napolitano (; born November 29, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and university administrator who served as the 21st governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009 and third United States secretary of homeland security from 2009 to 2 ...

stated that the number could reach 65 or more by the end of 2011. Napolitano visited the

Torkham Torkham (; ps, , translit=tūrxam) is a major border crossing between the Pakistani city of Torkham and Afghanistan, located along the Grand Trunk Road on the international border between the two countries. It connects Nangarhar province of ...

border crossing with Pakistan and was satisfied with the progress being made there. The ABP was known to have jointly trained with the

Tajik Border Troops The Border Troops (), also called the Border Service, is the border security force of Tajikistan. Functioning under the State Committee for National Security as part of the Armed Forces, the border guards are trained by the Organization for Sec ...

, its equivalent in

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

, which was overseen by the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

References

External links

Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan
{{Border protection agencies Border protection Law enforcement in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Defunct law enforcement agencies of Afghanistan

Organization

Mazar-e-Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ... (Northern Zone)

Fayzabad Faizabad (Hindustani pronunciation: ɛːzaːbaːd is a city situated near the southern banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The area of this Faizabad region is administered by Ayodhya Municipal Cor ... (Northeastern Zone)

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلال‌آباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jal ... (Eastern Zone)

Gardez , settlement_type =City , image_skyline =gardez_paktya.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption =The Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_se ... (Southeastern Zone)

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ... (Southern Zone)

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Saf ... (Western Zone)