The Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Monday announced it had sacked at least 24 officers over last month’s deadly attack by the Taliban against the 209 Shaheen Army Corps military base in northern Balkh province.
 
At least 250 mostly unarmed soldiers were killed in the attack. They had been at Friday prayers and in the canteen when the insurgents, disguised as fellow soldiers, stormed the highly fortified base in Dehdadi district.
 
Another 65 soldiers were wounded in the attack which shocked the entire nation.
 
However, the masterminds behind the attack have not been tracked down – an issue that has angered the public. But a defense ministry official said they were trying to get to the bottom of the plot in order to prosecute those responsible.
 
The investigations into the incident are continuing and justice will be served against the suspects, a defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said.
 
“All those who were inside the base are under investigation, if they are found guilty, they will be prosecuted,” added Waziri.
 
‘Govt accused of secrecy’
 
Following the attack, the Afghan government pledged to launch a broad investigation into the incident, but local officials have cast doubt over government’s dealing with the issue and instead accused it of keeping details secret.
 
On Tuesday, the head of Balkh provincial council said that government is trying to keep the results of the investigation quiet, and said government needs to identify and make known the names of those who masterminded the attack.
 
“We demand a full inquiry into the incident in order to identify the covert hands involved in the attack and to ensure the masterminds are prosecuted,” said the head of Balkh provincial council Afzal Hadid.
 
Meanwhile, a number of military experts have said that keeping details of such attacks will have a negative effect on the country’s stability.
 
“The security institutions are not taking the issue of infiltrating the ranks of the enemy seriously and they also do not provide enough information about these (attacks), this is an act of oppression against the soldiers and their families,” said military analyst Jawed Kohistani.
 
Concerns have been raised that as with the Shaheen Corps attack, government appoints task forces to investigate such incidents but often results are not made public.
 
Some lawmakers in parliament have meanwhile said that government’s move to announce the establishment of fact finding teams was their way of misleading the public and concealing the truth.