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 borde ...

'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 Pas ...

. 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 Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

operations at border crossings and

international airports An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...

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 #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...

, 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 th ...

. 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 Jowzjan, sometimes spelled Jawzjan or Jozjan (Dari: ), is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. The province is divided into 11 districts and contains hundreds of v ...

** 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 c ...

** 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 **

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 ...

Fayzabad (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 the w ...

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 ...

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 ki ...

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 Lowe ...

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 be ...

Yawan District Yawan ( fa, یاوان) is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan province in eastern Afghanistan. It was created in 2005 from part of the Ragh District and is home to approximately 36,037 residents. See also *Ragh District Raghistan District ( ...

Ragh District Raghistan District ( fa, شهرستان راغستان) is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan Province in eastern Afghanistan. Located in the northwestern portion of the province, Ragh is home to approximately 44,004 residents. The capital cit ...

Kuf Ab District Kuf Ab () is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan Province in eastern Afghanistan. It was created in 2005 from part of Khwahan and is home to approximately 21,400 residents. This district borders with the Districts Khwahan, Shekay, Nusay, ...

** Shekay District ** Darwaz district ** Darvaz-e Bala District **

Shighnan District Shighnan District ( - tg, Ноҳияи Шиғнони) is one of the 28 districts of the Badakhshan Province in eastern Afghanistan. It's part of the history region of Shighnan that is today divided between Afghanistan and Tajikistan.The distri ...

Ishkashim District Ishkashim District ( ps, ولسوالی اشکاشم; prs, ولسوالی اشکاشکم) is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan Province in eastern Afghanistan. The border town of Ishkashim (also: Eshkashem, Ashkāsham; ps, اشکاشم) ...

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-Baltist ...

Zebak District Zebak ( fa, زیبک) is one of the 29 districts of Badakhshan province in northeastern Afghanistan. It is home to an estimated 8,749 residents, most living in Zebak, the district's capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a ...

Kuran wa Munjan District Kuran wa Munjan District is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan Province in eastern Afghanistan. Located in the Hindu Kush mountains, the district is home to approximately 8,000 residents. The district administrative center is Kuran wa Munjan. ...

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. Jala ...
(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, wi ...

** Bargi Matal District **

Kamdesh District Kamdesh District (Kamdeish District, ps, کامدېش ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی کامدیش) is a district of Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanistan,

* Kunar Province ** Nari District ** Dangam District **

Marawara District Marawara District (; ) is one of the 15 districts in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Sirkanay District to the west, Asadabad District to the north-west, Dangam District to the north-east and the Durand Line to the south. Marawara's po ...

Sirkanay District Sirkanay District (Sarkani District) is situated in the central part of Kunar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Pakistan to the south. The population is 39,292 (2019). The district administrative center is the village of Serkanay () at 775 m altit ...

** Khas Kunar District * Nangarhar Province ** Goshta District **

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 Pu ...

** Momand Dara District **

Dur Baba District Dur Baba ( ps, دور بابا) is a district in the southeast of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan. The district centre is the village of Dur Baba. The population was 29,197 in 2002. The district is within the heartland of the ...

Achin District Achin ( ps, اچين ولسوالۍ) is a district in southern Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, on the border with Pakistan. Its population is 100% Pashtun. Achin is home to the Shinwari tribe, one of the largest Pashtun tribes. It was a stro ...

** Dih Bala District ** Pachir Wa Agam District **

Khogyani District Khogyani ( ps, خوږياڼي ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی خوگیانی) is a district in the south of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, bordering on Pakistan. Its population is entirely Pashtun, and was estimated at 146,852 in 2002. ...

Sherzad District Sherzad is a district in the west of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. It has a short (approximately 5 km) stretch of border with Pakistan. Its population, which is 100% Pashtun, was estimated at 66,392 in 2002, of whom 26,500 were children u ...

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_sea ...
(Southeastern Zone)

Paktia Province Paktia (Pashto/Dari: – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly ...

** Azra District ** 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 ...

** Jaji Maydan District **

Bak District Bäk District ( ps, باک ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی باک) is situated in the northern part of Khost Province, Afghanistan. It borders Tere Zayi District to the south, Sabari District to the west, Zazi Maydan District to the north, ...

Tirazayi District Tirazayi or Tere Zayi ( ps, تېره زي ; fa, تیریزائی) is one of the districts of Khost Province, Afghanistan. It is situated in the northeast of the province. It borders Khost and Sabari districts to the west, Bak District Bäk Dis ...

** 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 east ...

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 ** Urgon District ** Gayan District **

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 ...

Gomal District Gomal District ( ps, ګومل ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی گومل) is a district of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. The estimated population in 2019 was 45,873. The district is within the heartland of the Kharoti tribe of Ghilji Pashtuns.< ...

** 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 c ...
(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 Za ...

** 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 Maruf District (from the Persian: معروف), also Ma'ruf or Maroof, is a district in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Arghistan District to the west, Zabul Province to the north and Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the ...

Arghistan District The Arghistan District ( ps, ارغستان ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی ارغستان) is a district in the northeastern part of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Spin Boldak District to the south and west, Daman District to the ...

Spin Boldak District Spin Boldak is a district in the eastern part of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Daman District to the west, Arghistan District to the north, Qila Abdullah District of Pakistan to the east and Shorabak District to the south. The popula ...

** Shorabak District ** 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 borde ...

Chahar Burjak District Chahar Burjak District is a district of Nimruz Province in Afghanistan. At just under in area, it is the largest district in Afghanistan. The Kamal Khan Dam is located in this district. The population of Chahar Burjak was reported in 2004 at app ...

** Zaranj District **

Kang District Kang District is a district of Nimruz Province in Afghanistan. It has a population of about 13,514 , which is 60% ethnic Pashtun, 25% Baloch, and 15% Tajik. See also *Districts of Afghanistan The districts of Afghanistan, known as ''wules ...

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 Safē ...
(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 ** 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 a ...

Adraskan District Adraskan is a district in the central part of Herat Province in Afghanistan. It is bordered to the west by Iran, to the north by Ghoryan District, Zinda Jan District, Guzara District, Pashtun Zarghun District and Obe District, to the east by ...

Ghoryan District The Ghurian District (Ghoryan District) is an Afghan administrative district (Wuleswali) in far western Afghanistan in western Herat Province. The district is bordered by Iran to the west and northwest. It is then bordered by other districts of H ...

Kohsan District Kohsan is a district of Herat province in northwestern Afghanistan. It borders the nation of Iran to the west, Gulran District to the north, and Ghurian District to the south and east. The population of Kosan District is 52,900 (as of 2012), whic ...

Gulran District Gulran District is situated in northwestern part of Herat province, Afghanistan and borders Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the north, Kushk District to the east, and Zinda Jan District and Kohsan District Kohsan is a district of Herat prov ...

** 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 Ab Kamari is a Districts of Afghanistan, district in the west of Badghis Province, Afghanistan. Its population was estimated at 36,300 in 2002, the ethnic makeup of which was approximately 80% Tajiks, Tajik with a Pashtun people, Pashtun minority ...

** 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 som ...

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 ...

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 The European Union (EU) has undertaken a number of overseas missions and operations, drawing on civilian and Defence forces of the European Union, military capabilities, in several countries across three continents (Europe, Africa and Asia), as ...

(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. ...

. 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 The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...

and Customs and Border Protection officers providing training to the Afghan Border Police.

Homeland Security Secretary The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the U ...

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 20 ...

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 A ...

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, pro ...

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 (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. Jala ... (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_sea ... (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 c ... (Southern Zone)