Afghan army generals, officers jailed over base attack

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan

A number of Afghan military officers, including two generals, have been sentenced to jail terms over their failure in preventing a deadly militant attack in April, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The officers included the then Corps Commander Gen. Momand Katawazi and Gen. Abdul Rauf Mohtaj, chief of staff for 209 Shaheen Corps, which was attacked by the Taliban militants on April 22.

At least 135 soldiers were killed in the attack while 64 others sustained injuries.

The government’s Media Information Centre (GMIC) announced on Tuesday that Gen. Katawazi and 28 other officers of the 209-Shaheen Corps have been sentenced by a military court.

Mohammad Radmanesh, deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), told Anadolu Agency Katawazi and Mohtaj have been sentenced to one year imprisonment each.

“Four other generals were sentenced to three years, two middle-ranked officers got two years and 26 low-ranking officers got one year imprisonment”, he said.

The Afghan government has been under pressure from agitated citizens and its foreign supporters to get its act together, particularly in the security sector and against corruption.

The country’s former army chief Gen. Qadam Shah Shaeem and Minister of Defence Abdullah Habibi resigned days after the assault on the 209-Shaheen Corps.

Last month, a military court sentenced ten top ranking security officials over their failure to prevent a deadly attack on a hospital -- claimed by Daesh -- in March that left up to 50 people dead.

Security analyst Mohammad Arif told Anadolu Agency that Afghanistan needs to strengthen the culture of accountability.

“The President [Mohammad Ashraf Ghani] himself has pronounced the Ministry of Interior as the ‘heart of corruption’ so you can imagine how serious the problem is and how important it is to take such bold moves,” he said.