Based on the information received by the Ministry of Defense (MoD), all Madrasas (religious schools) which previously were the hotspots for terror activities in Pakistan have been closed and all the students of these Madrasa are now being sent to Afghanistan to carry out insurgent activities.
Spokesperson of the Ministry, General Zahir Azimi said that even though the Taliban activities have increased in the country but the Afghan National Army (ANA) has the ability to eliminate these threats.
Meanwhile, the National Security Council has ordered Ministry of Finance to buy five Russian Antonov cargo and transportation planes for the Ministry of Defense at a cost of $100 million.
General Zahir Azimi said, "Our information indicates that all madrasas which could give boost terrorism have been shut and now in order to keep the terror activities going the students are being sent to Afghanistan to carry out suicide attacks. But our security forces like always have the ability to remove all these threats and keep the situation under control."
In the meantime, Afghan security forces are facing numerous challenges including lack of facilities in Afghan Air force which was emphasized by the MoD.
General Zahir Azimi said, "The main challenge is to upgrade the Afghan Air Forces for which the Minister of Defense has expressed his concerns and the National Security Council decided to buy five Russian Antonov cargo planes."
Najeebullah Manilai Advisor to the Ministry of Finance said, "The Ministry of Finance will discuss the issue with the Ministry of Defense and money for buying these planes will be sanctioned."
It seems that government's concentration on the upgradation of the Air Force is high on pirority.
Meanwhile, ISAF called its training sessions for the Afghan security forces to be in line with Nato standards. ISAF Spokesperson General Gunter Katz believes that in the upcoming years, Afghan pilots would be able to match the level of a Nato pilot in terms of competency.
General Katz said, "I am a pilot and I went to training facilities in Shendand and Kabul and I flew MI17 planes. As a Nato pilot I can tell you what I have seen, those young student pilots are doing extremely well and each of those student pilots from Afghanistan could be a NATO pilot in the future because of high standards that I have seen in the Shendend and Kabul facilities. You can be very proud of your Air Force and your pilots who will protect you in the future. On top of it this is a moment as the first female pilot recently graduated from Shendend, which is yet another success story for the Afghan Air Force."
Air force is known to be an important part of defense forces for each country. Afghanistan is endeavoring to own a fully equipped and powerful air force but still there exists some major challenges.
Correction: TOLOnews apologies for misspelling the name of the ISAF Spokesman Gen Gunter Katz.