Operational Performance, Counterterrorism Role, and Strategic Strengthening of Afghan Special Police Forces

Speech at the Annual Review and Guidance Seminar of the Afghan Ministry of Interior Special Police Units

Keypoints: 

• Honoring Sacrifice: Recognizing fallen security personnel as national heroes.
• Operational Excellence: Emphasizing high-performance special police capabilities.
• Counterterrorism Mission: Defining enemies of the state and combating terrorism.
• Civilian Protection: Prioritizing reduction of civilian casualties in operations.
• Force Readiness: Maintaining training, capability, and operational effectiveness.
• Institutional Investment: Strengthening and sustaining special forces capacity.
• Non-Political Forces: Ensuring security forces remain professional and apolitical.
• Conditional Peace: Peace is supported only with strong security guarantees.

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

Respected Dr. Mohib, National Security Advisor of Afghanistan; Mr. Qane, First Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs; General Sadat, Deputy Minister for Security; Mr. Jalil, all deputy ministers; Commander Mir Ahmad Khan Azimi of the Special Units; Mr. Roshan Dil, former commander and key founder of the Special Units; all personnel of the Afghan Special Units, and 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!

I experience both ultimate lows and highs in my position. My low moments are every single morning when I first look at the casualty figures, and before my eyes stand the faces of the brave and committed children who daily bring honor to this country. Therefore, we first bow our heads in respect to the martyrs of the security and defense forces of Afghanistan in general, and the martyrs of the Afghan Special Units in particular. They are truly our heroes. The commitment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is that we will never forget their memory. Paying attention to their families is one of the important principles of our life and our political ethics; the coupon program you saw last week was a first step in this regard, and Inshallah, we will move forward step by step from here on out.

My high moments are when I stand alongside the Special Units. Mr. Roshan Dil is sitting right here. In the warning situation on the eighth floor of the Sardar Dawood Khan Hospital, terrorists had hidden themselves and the probability of death was nearly 90 percent when one of the Special Units entered. They asked, "I need four lions for this job," and eight hands went up. By the grace of Allah, all eight emerged completely safe. Our Special Units look death in the eye; death flees from them, they do not flee from death.

Enhancing Tactical Training and Minimizing Casualties

The specific reason I came to be at your service today is that two topics are closely interconnected. These annual seminars of yours hold vital importance for preventing casualties among our heroes. The Afghan Police have given the ultimate sacrifice. Everything, of course, is in the hands of Allah (SWT); but in the realm of secondary causes, sufficient attention has not been paid to preventing police casualties. My request to the leadership of the Ministry of Interior and Mr. Mohib, who manages coordination, is that reducing casualties must be a primary objective for us in the coming year.

Our Special Units must not become pinned down on the ground. Every time our Special Units and Commandos have become pinned down, we have suffered casualties. Fortunately, the number of our casualties when we were on the offensive was extremely low. For this reason, preserving the Special Units—in accordance with their designated duties, core principles, and by strictly observing the training cycle so they are continuously retrained—is absolutely essential.

During the transition period, I observed these units. Unit 333 was in excellent condition and possessed all its resources; but it was neglected. It grew weak. We cannot allow our Special Units to weaken.

You must remain special and you will always be special. Therefore, my commitment is the commitment of the entire state, and that is that investments will be made in you. You are not special merely because you have received training and education; it is because your presence ensures that other police officers and, most importantly, civilians stay alive. Thus, your training and welfare is a foundational principle.

Defining the Enemy and the Path to Peace

Another point that must be completely clear is the definition of the enemy. Anyone who raises a weapon against the legitimate government of Afghanistan and against this proud flag of ours is the enemy of Afghanistan—and you must strike them.

I hope it has become clear to you that your President is not one of those presidents who calls someone a friend on one side and an enemy on the other. The definition of the enemy is clear: your duty is to strike and crush the enemy of Afghanistan. They attack children, mosques, and our women; this is completely unacceptable.

This does not mean that we do not want peace; on the contrary, we want peace. Peace was achieved in Ireland, and tomorrow or the day after we will sit down together. But peace is only achieved through your sword and your strength; it is never achieved through weakness!

With the presence of the brave security and defense forces of Afghanistan, the Afghan government does not beg for peace. Those who interpret things by tossing around various percentages should compare the current situation with the era of Dr. Najib—could anyone even go to Khost or Kapisa back then? The core point for the nation of Afghanistan is that they view the system of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as absolutely legitimate. If they did not view it as legitimate, why would they participate in its elections? Therefore, we are under no circumstances in a state of weakness from an ethical, organizational, or structural standpoint. We want peace so that the war ends; but as long as someone fights against us, the definition of your enemy remains clear.

Protecting Operational Integrity and Legal Immunity

The days are gone when someone like Khushal Khan would be prosecuted, referred to the attorney general's office, or when people would look down upon our special forces with a bad eye! They had forced Roshan Dil Khan, Khushal Khan, and others to leave. As soon as I became President, I called them all back. They all told me, "Make Roshan Dil Khan our commander, and we will all align." Rest assured that I will protect your operational actions taken in defense of this homeland. You conduct operations under the command of the Commander-in-Chief of Afghanistan; therefore, you will naturally pay strict attention to avoiding civilian casualties. However, the enemies of Afghanistan are enemies. We did not label them enemies; their actions constitute enmity. Those who practice active enmity against us in action remain enemies until the day they turn toward friendship. When we sit down together tomorrow, that will be a different day.

Complete clarity must exist here: the security and defense forces of Afghanistan are national, professional, and non-political. In the elections, no type of interference by our security and defense forces—especially the Ministry of Interior, which is responsible for election security—is acceptable. I specifically request you, as your Commander-in-Chief, that if anyone tells you to work in favor of Dr. Ashraf Ghani, tell them it is none of their business.

The nation must cast its vote in freedom, and Inshallah, they will deliver the right to the rightful owner. The place of our security and defense forces is far higher. And let this point also be clear: if anyone, like Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, thinks that the security and defense forces of Afghanistan will be humiliated again, tell them, "This time humiliation belongs to you, not to us! We will not allow it!" Ask them who they are to speak to courageous people in such a manner. You are accountable to Allah (SWT) and you are accountable to the great nation of Afghanistan. You are the guardians of Afghanistan's honor and status. We want a dignified peace in which the position of the security and defense forces of Afghanistan remains exactly as the Constitution dictates, which is what I have invested in.

Honoring Elite Units and Provincial Commanders

In conclusion, I express my gratitude to all director-generals and provincial commanders. In this section, I specifically want to thank the CRU (Crisis Response Unit)¹ for its highly successful operations. Just as the CRU is a source of pride for all citizens of Kabul, each of our Special Units in the provinces is a source of pride for that province and for the entirety of Afghanistan.

The leadership of the Ministry of Interior has assured you that every consideration will be given to your proposals and views. As the Commander-in-Chief of the security and defense forces of Afghanistan, I assure you once again that anything requiring my attention will receive focused consideration from the National Security Directorate, the National Security Advisor, and your President.

Long live Afghanistan! Long live Afghanistan! Long live Afghanistan! May our Special Forces endure forever!

¹ CRU (Crisis Response Unit / قطعه ۲۲۲): Refers to the elite counter-terrorism police unit within the Special Units of the Ministry of Interior Affairs.