The Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Monday said it is in the final stage of setting up a militia unit, in order to help Afghan defense and security forces maintain stability in certain parts of the country.

Defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said the militia will be made up of reserve soldiers and officers and they will receive a salary like other forces.

According to the MoD, they need to make contingency plans to secure areas – especially vulnerable areas that have been cleared of insurgents. This is a problem and often an area is retaken by insurgents as the military does not have the capacity to safeguard these areas.

“We will announce at a provincial level that those people who were in the army in the past and want to again serve in the army, they can join the militia,” said Waziri.

According to the MoD, the new militia unit will be organized into battalions and will work under the command of army corps in different provinces.

Based on the needs of every province, a number of local army officials will be deployed to assess the local needs. 

The MoD also said the militia forces will receive the same pay as other security forces - but their uniforms will be in different.

“It is important how they want to use the forces to secure the national interests of the country,” parliament’s internal security commission head, Mirdad Nejrabi said.

Although there is no exact information regarding the numbers, sources from within the MoD said they will probably total around 20,000.

“The forces should be defined and they should be equipped with the necessary equipment. Also their sources should be known,” MP Bashir Ahmad Tayyanj said.

The model being used is much like that in other countries, including India’s Territorial Army, an auxiliary force who serve on a short-term contract basis with the regular armed forces.