Afghan Forces: Guardians of Security, Unity, and National Stability

Speech at Ninth Graduation Ceremony of Officers at Marshal Fahim National Defense University

Keypoints: 

• Honoring Graduates: Congratulate officers and instructors on their achievement.
• National Defense: Emphasize duty to protect Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
• Peace and Stability: Graduates safeguard law, order, and public safety.
• Sacrifice and Patriotism: Highlight soldiers’ courage and dedication.
• Military Capability: Stress modernization, strategy, and readiness.
• Rule of Law: Promote lawful and responsible use of force.
• National Unity: Serve all citizens beyond ethnicity or region.
• Economic Security: Protect freedoms to work, study, and live safely.
• Family Support: Value families and care for veterans.
• International Cooperation: Strengthen defense with global partners.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

My dear brother, the Speaker of the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga), representatives of both the House of Elders and the House of the People (Wolesi Jirga), honorable Minister of National Defense, honorable Minister of Interior, Generals, Commander of the National Military Academy of Afghanistan, distinguished professors, dear officers, honorable non-commissioned officers, esteemed soldiers, today’s 343 young graduates, and the families of the graduates: Peace, mercy, and the blessings of Allah be upon you all!

First and foremost, on the occasion of the graduation of these young officers from the military academy, I offer my congratulations to them and to their professors. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the committed and capable faculty and officials of the Marshall Mohammad Qasim Fahim National Defense University, this institution stands as one of the premier universities and best military academies in the entire region. We lack nothing here, and I express my gratitude to our international partners, particularly the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

I thank the professors and officials of this academy, and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to these young officers whose graduation we celebrate today. I thank you for choosing the sacred duty of defending the homeland. Choice gives meaning to every person's life. You, young officers, have made a sublime and sacred choice for your lives; therefore, you are among the finest people of this nation.

The Sacred Choice and National Commitment

As your Commander-in-Chief, I am not only proud of you, but I thank you! Each of you could have made a different choice; however, this choice demonstrates that the youth of Afghanistan are committed to their fundamental system and will defend it.

Afghanistan is in a state of war against terrorism. You have chosen the path of sacrifice and service to defend your people, to protect Islamic and national sanctities, and to safeguard the shared values of all humanity. This is a difficult path and a tough choice, but it is a sacred one. It is the path of honor and the path of national salvation. As officers of the heroic army of Afghanistan, it is through your labor and courage that the independence and national sovereignty of our beloved Afghanistan are preserved, and our political system continues in accordance with the Constitution. Let no one doubt: the political system of Afghanistan, by the will of Almighty Allah, shall endure and be strengthened through your resolve.

Security as the Foundation of Civil Life

Because of your work and bravery, children can go to school with confidence, doctors can serve the sick with assurance, families can sleep in peace, and people find the opportunity to earn an honest living and build the nation. In truth, you and your colleagues do more than just protect the independence of the nation and the security of citizens from killers and terrorists; you pave the way for the country's economic growth and development, creating the conditions for a life of dignity in this land.

As the President of Afghanistan, I thank your honorable families from the bottom of my heart. On behalf of the entire state and nation, I thank your mothers for bringing such children into this world, and I thank your fathers for teaching you the path of patriotism. [Takbeer echoed]

Guardians of Human Civilization and Global Trust

Brave children of the homeland! Freedom, independence, the rule of law, and a democratic political system all rely on the resolve and the strength of you lions who—during one of the most difficult stages of this country's history—have decided to stand for the life, progress, and elevation of a great nation. You have chosen of your own free will to stand by the people in these difficult days of history. It is always these difficult and decisive choices that change the course of history. It is you who, through your unique sacrifice, have not only breathed the spirit of belief into every individual of this nation but have also revived the world's belief in this country and restored global confidence in the capabilities of its people.

I relying on your pride-worthy record, I was able to secure the commitment of the international community to support Afghanistan at the Warsaw Summit. You are not only in the trenches defending Afghanistan; you are on the front lines of the battle against international terrorism, which is a threat to human civilization. You are the guardians of the civilizational values of humanity. For this reason, both Afghanistan and the world owe a debt of gratitude to your sacrifices. Today, every Afghan in any corner of the world can speak with pride of the role this nation bears. If your sacrifice in the trenches did not exist, my language and logic would not have been enough to convince the world. Do you know what the world leaders said? They said that in other countries, soldiers fled after power was transferred from international forces to domestic ones. The Afghan soldier has not fled; the Afghan general is a hero.

Domestic Reform, Governance, and Welfare

In recent years, the heaviest burden of protecting the state and the nation has rested on the shoulders of our defense and security forces, and now the state and the nation stand by you with all their might. We want to strengthen the nation-building process—which was severely damaged during the years of war—by institutionalizing an equal status for every child of this land. Likewise, over the past two years, we have worked to rebuild our international relations based on mutual interests; foreign policy is a continuation of domestic policy, and strong relations with international partners are a necessity in the fight against the rising tide of extremism and regional and global terrorism. We have also taken significant steps toward improving the system of governance and preventing corruption, removing Afghanistan from the list of the most corrupt countries. Our efforts in this path continue. Now, a global belief is taking root that the people of Afghanistan can follow the path of healthy governance.

Support for the defense and security forces of Afghanistan is an element that has strengthened the national spirit across this country. Your families, like yourselves, are dear and esteemed to all the people of Afghanistan. We are making every effort to ensure they receive the greatest attention—especially the families of martyrs—so that appropriate facilities are provided for them. Please, Mr. Minister of Defense and Mr. Chief of Staff, do not thank me for attending to the martyrs; I am the servant of the armed forces and the martyrs of Afghanistan. No non-commissioned officer, soldier, or officer can ever forget their comrade-in-arms. For this reason, serving the families is one of our priorities. You may recall that I personally follow the tables every two weeks, because your blood has made this soil sacred, and the nation can never forget this blood.

Specific measures have been taken for the treatment of those injured in the defense and security forces, and the best medicine and medical equipment are now provided for them. We will not allow anyone to steal from your uniforms or your food, nor will we let corrupt mafia circles trample on your rights. The fight against embezzlement and the abuse of defense resources is currently at the top of our priorities, and those who have committed corruption will be prosecuted with the full severity of the law.

The Generational Duty of Permanent Stability

Brave soldiers, honorable officers, and respected generals! Over the past forty years, several of our generations have lived in crisis and instability. During this long period, the farmer was not allowed to work his field in peace, and the mother was not allowed to send her daughter or son to school with confidence. During this time, many obstacles were created to prevent the building of dams, factories, and the cultivation of land. The enemies of Afghanistan wanted this society to be unstable, these people to be distressed, this homeland to be backward, the children of this land to be deprived of education, and the residents of this beloved country to be in conflict with one another.

It is now the duty of your generation to lead our beloved country to the stage of permanent stability. Mothers, sisters, youth, the elderly, and the entire nation desire permanent stability. History has entrusted this duty to you and your generation—to save your people forever from the evil of rebels and suicide bombers. Leave no place for them. These 343 young officers have a message for the enemies today: you will take your sinister desires to the grave. They tell you: we are building this homeland, we are building it, we are building it!

To reach the stage of permanent stability, several points are very important. One is the issue of state-building, of which the legitimate use of force is a vital element. That is, we must reach a stage where force is used only within the framework of the law. The term "irresponsible armed individual" must be removed from our political culture. As a result of the legitimate use of force, the nation trusts the army and the security and defense forces. Today, our non-commissioned officers, soldiers, and officers have the power to achieve the legitimate monopoly of force and not allow anyone else to become a threat to the homeland.

The Social Contract and National Unity

It is often said that in the last hundred years, the people have never stood by the army as they have in the last two years. This is a social contract. If the army uses force legitimately only within the framework of the law, the people will trust it and continue their support. Maintaining and strengthening this atmosphere of trust between the nation and the armed forces requires work from both you and me. Those who sell ammunition to the enemy, steal the soldiers' food, or steal fuel—those involved in any form of corruption—are in no way tolerable to our heroic nation and our heroic armed forces.

Another important discussion is nation-building. When we speak of nation-building, we must clarify that we have a five-thousand-year history and are an ancient nation. Let no one forget this. By nation-building, we mean national unity based on the equality of every Afghan with every other Afghan within the framework of the law. You are the guardians of national unity and the equality of every Afghan with every other. The lessons of patriotism you receive from your esteemed professors in this great academy are what the people expect, and the people trust you to provide the ground for peace and stability. Our heroic army is the highest example of national unity. Your colleagues come from every corner of Afghanistan, from the high peaks of the Pamirs to the flat deserts of Nimroz, and together they defend the homeland in every trench. In Helmand, there are people from Badakhshan; in Badakhshan, there are people from Herat, Paktia, and Nangarhar. Their language is shared, because that language is the language of patriotism—it is a belief in Allah and a commitment to duty.

Strategic Goals: Economy and Sovereignty

Economic development is our other very important goal. We must all work to reach the stage where Afghanistan stands on its own feet. Moving out of the stage of dependency on others is a shared national objective, and your sacrifices play a massive role in reaching this goal. Maintaining and strengthening international relations based on respect for national sovereignty and mutual interests is our other great objective. In the past, we saw that the enemies of Afghanistan wanted the country to remain disconnected from the world. The goal of the enemies was for Afghanistan's link with the world to be severed so that our beloved country would be a safe haven for terrorists. If the enemies could, they would isolate Afghanistan and keep it in seclusion, but—Alhamdulillah—it is the will of this brave nation and the strength of your swords that have caused the ill-wishers of this land to remain failed! They will remain failed, and they will be failed forever!

Strengthening the Force: The Four-Year Plan

Dear youth! Proud soldiers and officers of the motherland! What is of particular importance to us is the strengthening of our defense and security forces. We want to take action on structural reforms in light of acquired experiences and with a long-term vision. For this, we have prepared a four-year plan that is being finalized. Our Air Force has been activated and is set to be completed in every aspect by 2020. The days when we did not have a single aircraft are gone; the day will come when we will possess many aircraft.

The unified operational command we established is expanding and becoming nationwide. More programs are underway to minimize the casualties of our heroic forces and to completely paralyze the enemy's capabilities. While we fought the enemies for the past two years in a state where the status of our forces was ambiguous in many respects, today, by Divine Grace, those ambiguities have been removed. The ability of our forces has been proven to the world, our people's belief in your power has been strengthened, and the equations of war are changing in favor of our security forces—all of which is the result of your sacrifice. Again, I thank every soldier, NCO, officer, general, the Chief of Staff, and the Minister of Defense from the bottom of my heart.

Conclusion and the Promise of the Future

We want the people of Afghanistan not only to be saved from the evil of terrorism, but we also want no irresponsible armed force to remain that threatens the mental and physical peace of our people. Only then can our children feel secure going to school, our sick going to the clinic, our youth going to work, and our elderly in their daily lives. These legitimate demands—which are the fundamental rights of the citizens of this land—all depend on the role you have taken on.

You must remember that from the moment you put on your military uniform, you no longer belong to any specific tribe, faction, or region; rather, you belong to all of Afghanistan. Every inch of this land is your soil, and every individual of our people is proud of you. As the Commander-in-Chief, I am proud to have such forces; I can boast of your courage and speak of the greatness of this country and its sacrifices before the entire world. Do not think that you are only in a state of war; you are reviving the historical greatness of Afghanistan. Through your exemplary courage, you are bringing that lost glory back to life. Let every female graduate consider herself the daughter of the President, and every male graduate consider himself the son of the President!

Long live Afghanistan! Zindabad Afghanistan! Yashasın Afghanistan!