Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense on Saturday said a recent change in the leadership of the national army corps is aimed at increasing the abilities and skills of army forces on the battlefield.
The ministry has appointed new commanders for three army corps. Gen. Haibatullah Alizai has been appointed as commander of the Special Operations Corps, replacing Gen. Farid Ahmadi. Also, Col. Mohammad Ali was appointed as commander of the 4th Regiment of the Special Operation Corps while Mustafa Wardak was appointed as the commander of 209 Shaheen Army Corps and Gen. Abdul Jabbar as commander of 201 Selab Army Corps.
Last month, Gen. Sayed Sami Sadat was appointed as the new commander of 215 Maiwand Army Corps and Shafiqullah Rasulzai as the commander of 205 Atal Army Corps.
About 200,000 soldiers are serving in the ranks of the Afghan National Army within nine army corps--Selab, Shaheen, Pamir, Maiwand, Atal, Zafar, Special Operation Corps and Air Force Corps.
Defense Minister Asadullah Khalid in a telephone conversation with TOLOnews said the changes were recommended by the leadership of the Ministry of Defense.
“If the enemies of Afghanistan continue their stubbornness and the war, we are fully prepared to defend every inch of the country,” Khalid said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Defense Minister Shah Mahmoud Miakhel said the transfer of power has been carried out in a peaceful way through elections over the last 17 years and that the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) are pursuing a peace that will ensure stability and the protection of the system.
“In order to ensure stability and peace within the structure of the Constitution of Afghanistan, there is a need to agree on a ceasefire and prevent bloodshed,” said Miakhel.
The Independent Commission for Overseeing the Implementation of the Constitution said that the Islamic system is the core component of the Constitution and that the Taliban cannot challenge the constitution as unIslamic.
“In the caliphate system, governments do not derive authority from the system because caliphate systems believe that its authority comes from God,” said Abdullah Shahfayee, the acting head of the commission.
“The most fundamental aspect of the Constitution of Afghanistan is the emphasis on following the religion of Islam. This in fact is a strong response to the evil forces that try to allege that you are not Muslims,” said Ghulam Haidar Allama, the deputy head of the Attorney General's Office.
In related news, according to the Defense Ministry, 289 employees of the ministry were arrested on charges of corruption last year.