KABUL - Two billion Afghanis, collected from 36 private security companies in fines, had been transferred to the national exchequer, the interior minister informed lawmakers on Tuesday. The Meshrano Jirga had summoned Gen. Bismillah Mohammadi to answer questions from senators about the security situation in the country.
Mohammadi told the Senate all security firms would halt their operations at the end of the year and that the companies would be brought under police control. He dismissed apprehensions of some lawmakers that the security firms belonging high-ranking government officials were not going to be disbanded.

All security companies were being dissolved in compliance with President Hamid Karzai's directives, the minister insisted. A commission, having representatives from interior, defense and foreign ministries and the intelligence service, has been working on dissolving the firms without any discrimination.

A number of firms belonging to government officials had already been disbanded, Mohammadi explained.
Currently, 46 private firms are operational to meet security needs of Afghan and foreign officials. Another 36 firms which failed to pay taxes were fined two billion Afghanis.