Qari Fasihuddin, acting army chief in the Taliban regime, has said that Afghanistan will soon have a “regular and disciplined” army of its own. Fasihuddin made the statement during a press conference in Kabul on Wednesday.

Discussions are underway to decide on the formation of a “regular, disciplined and strong army” in the near future, Qari Fasihuddin said. He added that soldiers will be trained to defend the boundaries of Afghanistan.

Even Taliban spokesman Ahmadullah Muttaqi confirmed in a tweet that Afghanistan will “soon have a well-organised army and force”.

READ: Major fight between Taliban leaders for credit over Afghanistan takeover: Report

“We will not let a civil war erupt. Those disturbing security and stability will be trampled and those opposing the Taliban will be arrested,” Taliban army chief Qari Fasihuddin was quoted as saying.

Who is Qari Fasihuddin?

A Tajik fighter originally from Badakhshan, Qari Fasihuddin, was given the charge as Taliban’s military commander to curb the resistance mounted by Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh in Panjshir.

Interestingly, the Ashraf Ghani administration had declared Qari Fasihuddin dead in 2019 as a result of an airstrike in Wardoj.

File photo of Qari Fasihuddin | Courtesy: Twitter

Known as one of the fiercest commanders within the Taliban, Qari Fasihuddin is also known as the “conqueror of the north” and was reportedly the ‘shadow governor’ of Afghanistan’s Badakhshan for some time.

Fasihuddin took charge as the Taliban’s acting army chief on Tuesday.

Afghan National Army

Afghanistan had an army between 2002 and the Taliban takeover of the country on August 15 this year.

Formed in 2002, the Afghan National Army was, according to some reports, over 1.8 lakh-strong. The Afghan National Army was trained by the United States and other NATO member nations.

However, most members of the Afghan armed forces were forced to go into hiding, fearing retaliation following the Taliban takeover.

Many Afghan defence personnel even joined hands with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan in Panjshir.