Afghanistan to Double Special Forces, Triple Air Forces Size

TEHRAN (defapress)- The Afghan government plans to increase the size of the Afghan Special Forces by two times while the size of the Afghan Air Force will be tripled in coming years, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said.

News ID: 67212

Date: 01 December 2017 - 18:32

"I am doubling the size of my Special Security Forces and tripling the size of the Air Force to defeat the terrorists and further secure the population,” Ghani said, Khaama press reported.

President Ghani further added, "Today, Afghan Commandos conduct four out of every operations independently from US and NATO support.”

"We Afghans own the fight and have turned the corner.  Our special forces – the Kitah Khas and Commandos – have never lost a battle – they are becoming one of the best special forces in the region,” he added.

In regards to the ongoing fight against ISIL loyalists, President Ghani said, ”ISIL failed in building a base for their so-called caliphate in Afghanistan. ISIL is on the run – in Southern Nangarhar, Achin, Kunar, and Tora Bora – ISIL terrorists are being killed and cleared from Afghanistan.”

According to President Ghani, in the last year, the Afghan forces conducted over 1,500 combined ground operations and 300 air strikes against them, killing 3 emirs, over 2,500 fighters, and capturing over 200 ISIL fighters.

He also added that the group is isolated from external support. They are running out of weapons, supplies, and fighters – what’s left of ISIL is stuck in the mountains to starve and die.