Defending Sovereignty and Defining Peace through Afghan Security Forces
Statement at the Ceremony Honoring the Special Forces Program of the Afghan National Army
Keypoints:
- Security Forces Pride: Afghan forces are the backbone of national honor and stability.
- Sacrifice for Homeland: Soldiers fight for country, not for personal gain.
- National Sovereignty: Afghanistan’s independence must be fully protected.
- Peace with Conditions: Peace is acceptable only if security institutions are preserved.
- Reject External Pressure: Foreign interference and imposed agendas are firmly rejected.
- Strong National Army: Security forces are essential for democracy and national survival.
- Self-Reliant Defense: Afghanistan must build an independent security capability.
- Long-Term Struggle: Defending the nation is a continuous, generational responsibility.
Presidential Palace
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Respected Dr. Mohib, Minister Khalid, the Chief of Army Staff, General Waziri, all respected generals of the Army, Police, and National Directorate of Security (NDS), officers of the Commando Corps, brave sergeants, commanders, and all attendees of this gathering; first of all, I offer you the gift of the leader of humanity; Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings!
You are worthy of appreciation every single day. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces, there is not a day that I do not take pride in you; because every day you create an epic. It is clear to every Afghan that no member of the security and defense forces of Afghanistan, especially our commandos, fights for salary and privileges.
You are the true sons of Afghanistan; you fight for this homeland and to prove yourselves worthy of your mothers' blessings! The blood of thousands of years of heroes flows through your veins, and you represent them. You are fighting for a free, independent, and dignified Afghanistan, and because you fight, I, as your President, and every Afghan are proud of you.
Countering Threats to National Security Forces
If anyone harbors the baseless claim that they can dismantle the security and defense forces of Afghanistan, they should wait a thousand years.
These jackals have come saying, "We will overthrow you lions." Let them come then; let them stand against you on the battlefield instead of carrying out suicide attacks and explosions.
Do you think you can defeat our security forces with suicide attacks and explosions, or with empty words? Those who do not even possess the authority to fly from Karachi to Abu Dhabi for a meeting, but are instead taken by force to Qatar—are these the people threatening our security and defense forces? Never, not for another thousand years.
Today is a day of immense joy for me, and that is why I arranged this gathering. Today, it is not just 38 families; rather, the hearts of 35 million Afghans beat with pride because the first fully Afghan-led operation was conducted to rescue your fellow comrades-in-arms. This operation was successful, suffering no casualties among either the prisoners or yourselves.
Therefore, Minister Khalid, I congratulate you, the Chief of Staff, all officials, General Waziri, all colleagues, and especially the sergeants, officers, all heroes, and the commander of the 777th Regiment. From the bottom of my heart, I offer my congratulations.
Safeguarding Sovereign and Sustainable Peace
We express our genuine gratitude for your intelligence and assessments. All our sergeants must know that Bahadur Shah Khan shared your latest feedback with me just this morning, and all your problems are being resolved. The happiness of the Afghan people lies in the fact that we are truly moving toward security self-sufficiency. In this regard, I want to assure you that as long as there is a single drop of blood left in my body, I will not submit to a transitory peace. I will never sign a peace treaty in which the vital role of the security and defense forces—as the protectors of independence, guardians of freedom, and defenders of democracy in Afghanistan—is not guaranteed.
Brothers! Understand this, and I am certain you already know, that your President is neither Shah Shuja nor Amir Yaqub Khan. He will neither bow to others, nor will he sign a shameful treaty like the Treaty of Gandamak. Our hope and goal is the arrival of a dignified peace—a peace where others accept the Constitution, accept our security and defense forces, and where our security and defense forces maintain security across the entire homeland. Inshallah, a peace will come tomorrow in which your role will be even better than it is today, because massive economic projects and grand security tasks lie ahead, and we want your children to live in dignity on this land.
Our struggle is not for a single day, a year, or even for a decade or a generation; it is for hundreds of years. If there had been prudence forty, thirty, or twenty-five years ago, would Afghanistan have reached this level of destruction?
The Afghan Army did not collapse on the battlefield; it was a political solution and a political outcome that had arrived, and the Afghan Army accepted that political solution. Today we say clearly that this film and this story will not be repeated. We possess intellect; we understand what is good and right for the country, and what brings honor to the nation.
In short, the security and defense forces of Afghanistan have preserved the independence and dignity of this country with their blood. Anyone who calls our security and defense forces a militia or mercenaries is ignorant of this land. They should re-examine their conscience and think about why every martyr of the National Army, the National Security, and the National Police shed blood and held the front lines. Why do our heroes perform acts of heroism every single day? It is because they believe that, after God (SWT), we are the owners of this land.
Transcending Economic and Regional Pressures
Our international cooperation is built upon the principles of mutual interest and mutual respect. With dignity, calm, and prudence, we defend our national interests. Our word, Inshallah, will prevail. You have seen how neighbors who once spoke with ultimate arrogance are now screaming because they have fallen into isolation.
They thought that by closing the borders, they could put pressure on us. Now I will close the borders to you, and let us see who suffers the financial loss!
What is their dispute with us about? Afghanistan's waters have been flowing abundantly, and for years they made billions of dollars in profit from it. Now that we are building dams, they are burning with anger. Oh people! The water is ours, yet you claim the land? Pay us! Do you give us free oil that I should give you free water? Do you give us free electricity that I should give you free water? The fact is, our resources belong to us. We manage them with dignity, but the core of everything is your loyalty, your commitment, and your sacrifice. Rest assured that the entirety of Afghanistan is indebted to you, and those who criticize you—their criticism is completely invalid.
Final Orders and Commands
My final point: until the day we achieve peace, you bear the responsibility of war. Do not slacken for a single fraction of a second in your duties. Those days when our heroes were dragged to the prosecutor's office are long gone; those days when no one paid attention to our sergeants, did not even know their names, and when no one recognized our corps commanders and generals have passed.
I know each and every one of you individually. I take pride in each and every one of you, and I am honored to belong to you.
Once again, I congratulate you on this heroic feat, and we look forward to more victories. Minister Khalid! I congratulate you and all your colleagues, and at the same time, I congratulate the Ministry of Interior Affairs and the National Directorate of Security.
Long live Afghanistan!
And long live our heroic commandos!