KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan authorities this week shut down two private security companies and said more than 10 others — including some suspected of murder and robbery — would soon be closed, Afghan and Western officials said today.

Authorities on Tuesday shut down the Afghan-run security companies Wathan and Caps, and 82 illegal weapons were found during the two raids in Kabul, police Gen. Ali Shah Paktiawal said.

A Western security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said some major Western companies were on the list of at least 10 others tapped for closure. He would not give names.

The crackdown echoes efforts by authorities in Iraq to rein in private security contractors often accused of acting with impunity.

Puerto Rico gets strict with motorcyclists

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tropical Puerto Rico will require motorcycle drivers to wear protective jackets, gloves, long pants and boots as part of a strict safety law signed by the governor of the U.S. commonwealth on Wednesday.

Augmenting an existing helmet law, the new law also sharply lowers the maximum allowable blood-alcohol level for motorcycle and scooter enthusiasts below levels tolerated for automobile drivers.

The law's sponsors said it was prompted by a sharp increase in motorcycle and scooter accidents, but some bikers argued that adults should be allowed to decide such matters for themselves.

In a last-ditch effort to stop the law, hundreds of motorcyclists on Monday revved their engines in protest while riding past Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila's residence in San Juan.

Puerto Rico, which before had less stringent rider regulations than most U.S. states, now has the most restrictions of any of the 50 states, said the Ohio-based American Motorcyclist Association.