Seven provinces have been officially transferred to the control of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday.
Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan, Kapisa, Parwan, and Panjshir are now officially under the direction of Afghan National Army (ANA) Corps 201 Seilaab,
ANA deputy chief Mohammed Akram said that although the Afghan forces do not have modern and heavy arms, they will fulfill their their duty to provide security for the seven provinces from now on.
"Corps 201 Seilaab has taken the security responsibility in seven provinces of the country. We are certain that the national army forces have the ability to provide the security in the country," he said, noting that this is in spite of the shortage of modern equipment such as helicopters, forensic tools, and explosive device disablers.
Corps 201 Seliaab Commander Mohammed Zaman Wazir said the army has already proven itself in areas where foreign forces have withdrawn.
"Since the withdrawal of foreign forces from some of the areas in eastern provinces, we have seen that the national army is capable of providing this security. For instance, now we have transportation over Nangarhar-Kunar highway. We are hopeful that the army will be able to secure other parts of the country as well," he told TOLOnews.