Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: Continuing the government's accountability programs to the people; Today, Wednesday, September 7, Qari Mohammad Fasihuddin Fitrat, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the army, said in describing the achievements of the Ministry of Defense in one year: protecting national values and sovereignty, supporting security and law enforcement, cooperation with sectoral agencies, addressing the victims of Natural disasters and ensuring coordination with the country's defense and security agencies are among the urgent tasks and priorities of the Ministry.
He said the Islamic National Army had conducted 13,352 reconnaissance operations in the past year, adding that as a result, 588 rounds of light weapons and 60 rounds of heavy weapons, 1,515 kilograms of explosives, 239 grenades, 44 telecommunications devices, cameras, 386 vehicles and 1,982 motorcycles were seized.
The chief of staff of the armed forces also announced that 1,383 landmines were defused during the past year. It has also been built throughout the country.
He said that last year, 4,218 duty and training flights were carried out by the Air Force, adding that a Black Hag helicopter was repaired and the Air University was activated. He said 77 martyrs and 567 wounded from natural disasters were also evacuated by the air force.
Mr. Fitrat announced the introduction of 500 graduates of the 12th grade to the National Military Academy and said: The recruitment of 120 people in the aviation universities and 390 people in the National Military Academy is another important achievement of the ministry.
He also informed about the coordination of 13 centers to manage borders and border strips with neighboring countries, adding that some of them have now been activated.
Meanwhile, Maulvi Mohammad Qasim Farid, Deputy Minister of Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Defense, said that 5,414 students graduated from Hazrat Ubaidah Bin Jarrah National Defense University, 12,781 members of training courses and 73 students from different departments of the Military Medical Faculty. He said it was one of the important functions of the ministry in the professionalization of the Islamic National Army.
He referred to the establishment of the Islamic Emirate government in Afghanistan, saying; Since the establishment of this system, nationwide security has been ensured in the country, combat activities have decreased significantly and the graph of civilian casualties has approached zero.
The deputy policy maker of the Ministry of Defense pointed to the ministry's budget from domestic revenues, adding; The financial resources of the Ministry are funded by the Ministry of Finance.
Meanwhile, Defense Ministry spokesman Enaitullah Kharazmi said six principled documents had been reviewed and sent to the Ministry of Justice for processing, adding that 54 other policies had also been reviewed.
He said the ministry's urgent priorities during the past year were to supply weapons and military equipment, conduct operations in the country's seven security zones, and added: developing the capacities of the National Islamic Army, improving intelligence capabilities and establishing coordination with the country's defense and security agencies. It has also been one of the ministry's priorities.
The defense ministry official also said that the preparation and revision of legislative documents, reform of structures, construction of facilities, and provision of logistical, health and care facilities are the ministry's priority issues.
Officials from the Ministry of Defense announced the number of 200,000 troops of the National Islamic Army and in response to a question from Ava, they said: In the near future, all ethnic groups and citizens of the country will be recruited in the Ministry of Defense. "For now, the priority is for the Mujahideen who have fought against the occupation of the country for 20 years," they said.
They said Afghanistan would take full control of the country's airspace in the near future and added that the problem of violating the country's airspace was being resolved through dialogue.
The Ministry of National Defense officials also dismissed Pakistan's claims that the TTP was present in Afghanistan as baseless, saying it was clear that its bases were located in their own country.