Mission Afghanistan: Major Crimes Task Force

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Video Transcript

 Special Agent Jason Ficket: The Major Crimes Task Force is a capacity-building initiative that was started by the FBI, it's led by the FBI, where we work with the Afghans to expand their capacity in high-level investigations; investigations in corruption, kidnapping, and organized crime.

We've put together a training apparatus that includes basic training, gives them the basic fundamental investigative techniques such as interview interrogations, crime-scene management, how to use a pistol, how to use a weapon, how to safely take someone into custody, how to analyze records. A better understanding of Afghan law.

We've got nearly 200 vetted and trained Afghans on this task force.

This is a largest international task force the FBI has ever operated.

We're making new ground out here on what's being done.

And a big part of it is what the FBI has committed to it. But it's been a collaboration.

We don't do joint interviews. We don't do joint source operations. We're never involved in any of the arrests or search warrants. We simply guide and mentor them before an after the events--lessons learned, best ways to do it the next time.

But the idea is this is their task force. This is their way forward. And the best way to learn is to have them do it a hundred percent.

There's no doubt that this region of the world is very important to everyone. And the FBI and the U.S. government wants to have a good relationship here.

They want stability here. Because the more stable they are here, the less chance that we could have issues that could bring back national security implications back to the U.S.

To learn about the FBI role in Afghanistan, see our series on www.fbi.gov.