Armed theft and targeted killings continue in Kabul city despite the Ministry of Interior's recent pledge to implement a new security policy for the capital aimed at reducing crimes, a number of residents in the city said on Friday.

 But the MoI remains defensive of its new security strategy, saying hundreds of criminals were arrested with the cooperation of the public based on the new policy.

The Interior Ministry had started implementing the new security policy three weeks ago.“People are killed on the streets for their money,” said Gulbuddin, a resident in Kabul.

“No one is able to go out after 8:00pm, because they fear for their lives,” said Fahim Arman, a resident in Kabul.

“They must leave police to do their job, interference has increased the work of the police,” said Duad Amin, the former commander of Kabul police.

“Our findings show a significant reduction in the level of crime over the past 21 days following the implementation of the new security strategy,” said Tariq Aryan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior.

 The Interior Ministry last month said that the new security strategy will be expanded into Herat, Takhar and Laghman province after implementation in Kabul.

 According to the Ministry of Interior, based on the new security policy, the Kabul police have also managed to identify the presence of the Taliban in Kabul districts and also those areas where the level of criminal cases are higher.