CHENNAI: It was a proud moment for Colonel Masud Stankzi as he silently watched his young officers take a final bow at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) here during the passing out parade on Saturday.“This year we are having the highest number of cadets graduate to officers from the OTA,” said Colonel Stankzi, a soldier of the Dr Najibullah era. Eighteen of the 370 cadets who graduated from OTA on Saturday after a gruelling training are from Afghanistan.Hailing the instructors at the elite Indian institute, Stankzi said the training was excellent and these officers will join the Six Corps of Afgan Army soon.“Ours is a new army and our officers are undergoing training at Italy, Germany, United States, Turkey and United Kingdom,” said the defence attaché of Afghanistan. But he said Afghans training in India have an advantage over their counterparts in other countries. “Here they know the language and can understand the commands.” To a query on how the country divided by different clans and tribes be united, Col Stankzi said “our army is young but consists of people from different clans and it will stand united in protecting the country”.Currently Afghanistan has six corps and each corp has four brigades, said the Afghan officer, adding that the army is prepared to take action against the forces fomenting trouble in the country.While he did not name any country, he said it is for anyone to guess which is that country.Some of the Afghan cadets are also the victims of terror from across the border. “My mother and sister were injured during a suicide bombing,” says First Lt Rohullah Razee. “My first duty is to bring in peace and stability in Afghanistan,” added the young officer.
Comments
0 comment