The General Command of Police Special Units celebrated the graduation of 347 special police officers from the 26-week Special Police Qualification Course at the Afghan Special Police Training Center in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 22, 2018. The class is the largest group to graduate in the seven-year history of the SPTC.
The graduates will play a vital role in the growth of the NMUs from three to six units as outlined in the Afghan 2020 Roadmap. Legacy NMUs, Crisis Response Unit 222 in Kabul, Commando Force 333 in Logar, and Afghan Territorial Force in Kandahar provinces will be joined by units in Balkh, Herat, and Nangarhar over the next three years.
“Today marks another significant moment in our proud history of National Mission Unit operators,” said Maj. Gen. Sayed Mohammed Khan Roshindal, commander of the General Command Police Special Units. “The graduation ceremony is one of our finest traditions and introduces our newly trained police officers, dedicated to serving and protecting our citizens with honor and integrity, to the people of Afghanistan. I am proud of each one of you, and you should be proud of your accomplishments.”
NMUs conduct a range of special police activities from high profile arrests to crisis response that include counter-terrorism and counter-narcotic operations. In the last two months, the NMUs have illustrated their capability in response to the InterContinental Hotel and Kabul Military Academy attacks in January, and the capture of three-warranted Taliban in Kandahar resulting in the destruction of more than three tons of narcotics worth an estimated $8.7 million on Feb. 20.
“Take your job seriously, operate in secrecy, and always maintain a low profile,” cautioned Roshindal, “So that the enemy never learns who you are and when you are coming to annihilate him.”
The majority of the graduates will complete six additional months of additional special police training at the Special Police Training Wing-North in Mazar-e-Sharif. The remainder of the class will join one of the 33 Provincial Special Police Units.