Preceding agency KHAD Annual budget Classified | Headquarters Kabul, Afghanistan | |
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Formed 2002; 15 years ago (2002) Employees Classified
(15,000–30,000 estimated) Agency executive Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai, Director | ||
The National Directorate of Security (NDS) is the primary foreign and domestic intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Contents
Alternative names
The NDS is otherwise known as:
د ملي امنیت ریاست (the Pashto language)
ریاست امنیت ملی (Dari)
Riyasat-e Amniyat-e Milli
Development
The National Directorate of Security was founded as the primary domestic and foreign intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2002, and is considered the successor to KHAD, which was the previous intelligence organization, before the Civil War.
Organisation
The NDS is part of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and reports directly to the Office of the President.
Operation
As the primary intelligence organ of Afghanistan, the NDS shares information with ministries of Afghanistan and with provincial authorities. The NDS also cooperates with the American CIA, the Pakistani ISI, and other NATO Intelligence Agencies.
The NDS has had a degree of success, including capturing Maulvi Faizullah, a notable Taliban leader, and foiling an assassination attempt against Abdul Rashid Dostum.
Directors and deputy heads
The president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani is the Director.