The United States has pledged to equip the Afghan Air Force with four Black Hawk helicopters before the end of this fiscal year, Ghulam Sakhi Ahmadzai, technical and financial deputy defense minister said on Monday at a press conference.

According to Ahmadzai, the U.S and the international community will continue to support the Afghan security and defense forces as long as these institutions fight corruption.

“It is specified that Afghan forces will receive four black hawk helicopters by the end of the fiscal year and the process will continue up to 2022. We will receive the support step by step,” said Ahmadzai. 

Referring to the defense ministry’s efforts to fight corruption, Ahmadzai said 1,500 employees at the ministry have had job function changes in the past three years in a bid to curb corruption.

He also said over 277 cases of misusing authority and embezzlement by officials at the ministry are being investigated.

According to Ahmadzai, fighting corruption is a prerequisite for receiving aid from donor countries. 

“We believe that if we do not fight corruption, it is possible that donor countries will stop their support at any time,” Ahmadzai said.

According to defense ministry officials, the registration process of soldiers and officers at the ministry in databases will be finished by next month and once this happens, there won’t be any ghost soldiers in the army.

“Some individuals have been appointed in the National Army who have never received military training or have not seen battlefields,” former military officer, Mohsin Mukhtar said.

Meanwhile, the defense ministry spokesman said in the last two months 71 leaders of armed anti-government group, including a few Daesh commanders and nearly 2,000 Taliban members, have been killed across the country - especially during the 93 night raids carried out by the military.