RASC News Agency: The “Committee to Support Former Afghanistan Military Personnel,” recognized as one of the largest assemblies of former government soldiers, pursues their cases in the country and advocates for the cessation of detainment, torture, harassment, and killing of former military personnel by the Taliban group. They have issued a statement regarding the session of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the United States Congress.
Acknowledging the United States as the most significant strategic partner of Afghanistan’s former military, the Committee, on November 18, 2023, sent a letter to Congress urging serious attention to the plight of former Afghanistan security and defense forces. It was expected that the “House of the People of America” would take serious steps to improve the situation and halt the detainment and massacre of former Afghanistan military personnel.
Members of the “Committee to Support Former Afghanistan Military Personnel” express appreciation for convening the session of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the US Congress and discussing the dire situation of security and defense forces under the Taliban’s rule. They extend gratitude to American military personnel, Mr. Sohail Sanjar, owner of the 8 am newspaper, and all entities and media that have positively voiced the concerns of Afghanistan’s former military personnel. They emphasize that merely convening such sessions is insufficient, and former Afghanistan military personnel require much more attention.
The security and defense forces of the former Afghanistan government, during two decades of international and US military presence, stood at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. Despite numerous sacrifices, they supported the international mission aimed at destroying terrorist groups like the Taliban and ensuring global security.
Contrary to the Taliban leader’s general amnesty decree, former security and defense forces have been extensively detained, tortured, and killed. The widespread detention of former military personnel by the Taliban and their extrajudicial killings have compelled these individuals to migrate to neighboring countries, especially Iran and Pakistan, where they face dire economic conditions and the constant threat of detainment, both within these countries and back in Afghanistan, leading to an uncertain and perilous future.
Members of the “Committee to Support Former Afghanistan Military Personnel” urge the global community, especially the United States and its Congress, not to abandon the security and defense forces of the former Afghanistan government in such difficult circumstances. They call for necessary facilitation regarding their immigration cases, particularly for “women in the military,” and issuance of more humane visas for former military personnel, ensuring they are not left stranded.
They further stress that the transfer of over 300,000 security and defense personnel, who are the backbone of the country’s economic cycle, outside Afghanistan is not feasible, and they implore the US Congress and the global community to find a fundamental solution to the country’s dilemma. This solution entails uprooting the tyranny and terror of the Taliban and establishing a legitimate democratic and decentralized government alongside the Afghanistani people.
Finally, the committee members expect all Afghanistani citizens not to ignore the sacrifices and heroism of former security and defense forces and not to remain silent in the face of the detainment and massacre of former Afghanistan military personnel.
