The Mongolian Cabinet has backed the Law on Internal Troops which was presented by the Ministry of Justice and Domestic Affairs on 22nd of December. If the law will now go to the State Great Khural (Parliament); if approved the Internal Troops will be re-established.
The Law on Internal Troops, adopted in 1995, was repealed in 2013 after the State Great Khural approved the Law of Police. Subsequently, the units of Internal Troops were phased out and their functions were transferred to the police and border troops on 1st of April, 2014. Internal Troops have the right to carry firearms. However, a concern is that for young graduates with little or no experience in firearms who have been called up for military service, carrying guns could be potentially dangerous.
The special functions of the Internal Troops include the protection of state and public property, of particular importance – dealing with public chaos, including protecting of people and state property in times of civil disorder, conducting special operations against terror attacks, and enforcing quarantines during natural calamities, disasters, wildfires and outbreaks of epidemic diseases effecting humans and animals.
The Internal Troops were originally formed in 1922, with over ten divisions, by order of the Mongolian General Military Commission under name of ‘Special Squad’.