Khadamat-e Aetla'at-e Dawlati (
Pashto/
Persian 'خدمات اطلاعات دولتی') translates directly to
English as: "State Intelligence Agency". However, this phrase is more precisely translated as "State Information Services". Khadamat-e Aetela'at-e Dawlati, almost always known by its
acronym KHAD (or
KhAD), is the main
security agency and
intelligence agency of
Afghanistan, and also served as the
secret police during the
Soviet occupation. The successor to AGSA (Department for Safeguarding the Interests of Afghanistan) and KAM, KHAD was nominally part of the Afghan state, but it was firmly under the control of the
Soviet KGB until 1989. In January 1986 its status was upgraded and it was thereafter officially known as the "Ministry of State Security" (
Wizarat-i Amaniyyat-i Dawlati, or
WAD).