A total of 1,100 recruits have graduated from the Abdullah bin Masoud Joint Combat Training Center in Kabul after completing four months of military training.
The graduates are expected to be deployed to various locations to protect the country’s territorial integrity.
Speaking at a ceremony marking their graduation, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Defense emphasized the importance of defending Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and denied that any groups opposing the Islamic Emirate have a physical presence inside the country.
Fasihuddin Fetrat, Chief of Staff of the Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Defense, said: “Enemies are spreading propaganda. They release videos from the mountains of Chitral, Shah Salim, Bajaur, and Gilgit in Pakistan, where they are armed by that country, and claim to be present in the mountains of Badakhshan and Panjshir. I assure the people of Afghanistan that they have no presence anywhere in the country.”
The senior Islamic Emirate official also criticized Pakistan’s approach toward Afghanistan, saying the Islamic Emirate had rendered Pakistan’s efforts to maintain influence over Afghanistan ineffective.
Fetrat warned certain countries that he said were attempting to destabilize Afghanistan again, stressing that any efforts to undermine the country’s stability would face a strong response.
Fasihuddin Fetrat stated: “Our neighboring country, Pakistan, used to close the crossings whenever it was time for us to export our goods. However, when it served its own interests and it was time for its exports, the crossings remained open. When the Islamic Emirate came to power, it put an end to this situation. It said, ‘If you do not need us, we do not need you either.’ Even now, there are countries that cannot tolerate Afghanistan’s progress and are trying to weaken us. Our message to them is that we do not need you.”
The Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Defense also emphasized that the Islamic Emirate’s army is currently not dependent on foreign support and is financed through the domestic budget.
He added that the Islamic Emirate’s army currently includes recruits from across Afghanistan.
