Afghanistan Times
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AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: Disclosing new figures on casualties, President Ashraf Ghani said that 45,000 Afghan security forces personnel have lost their lives since he took the office in September 2014. He said this while addressing a panel at the World Economic Forum.
He put the number at more than 28,000 last year in November.
“Over 45,000 Afghan security personnel have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” Ghani said. “The number of international casualties is less than 72.”
Ghani left Kabul to Swiss few days after an NDS facility in Maidan Wardak province, almost 50 kilometers south of Kabul, was attacked by the Taliban where more than 36 Afghan security force members were killed while unconfirmed reports suggest higher casualties.
However, based on some media reports, casualties were much higher than official figure, as some put the death tool to over 100 security personnel.
Ghani highlighted that the sacrifices of Afghan forces show that “who is doing the fighting”.
“We need to get a stable Afghanistan as an entity that can ensure security of America and Europe and others on the one hand, but more fundamentally our own democratic rights and institutions and our right to live in peace and harmony,” Ghani said.
President Ghani, meanwhile, said government has brought reforms to security agencies.
“We have changed our security forces, rootstock and branch during this. Reform of the Inherent Law brought the age of retirement for a general to 56 years. Our four-star general is now retired at 62. Over 2000 generals and colonels have been retired. We are really focused, we have used this and day by day, we are gaining strength,” Ghani said.
