New Delhi, 15 June: 43 Afghan military cadets, who passed out from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, celebrated their graduation on Wednesday.
These Afghan cadets, who are undergoing training at the IMA, were kept under “close surveillance” after the sudden Taliban rule in Afghanistan last year. After the completion of military training in India, now the future of these new army cadets is in jeopardy due to the Talibani rule in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Fareed Mamundzai tweeted that today we celebrated the graduation of 43 Afghan military cadets from the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. The graduation of these new army cadets is a milestone in their lives in the midst of a major crisis in Afghanistan. We are proud of the performance and capability of our cadets as they have completed their training at one of the finest academies in the military field.
Fareed Mamundzai said that I thank India for providing the opportunity to our young officers to continue their training and studies.
He also remembered the men and women of the Afghan Defense and Security Forces who made the supreme sacrifice for Afghanistan over the past two decades.
He said that the entire Afghan will always be indebted for his service and sacrifice. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year, there has been confusion about the cadets here. The Afghan National Army ceased to exist after the Taliban took power.
This year 89 young military officers from eight friendly countries Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Tanzania have passed out from the IMA.
When Kabul was captured by the Taliban in August last year, Afghan cadets, who were completing their last term of training at the academy, were being trained in the jungles of Uttarakhand. As soon as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, foreign cadets were withdrawn from their training by issuing a red alert in the academy.
After this, Foreign Gentlemen Cadets (FGC) of Afghanistan was kept under strict surveillance by sending them to some unknown place in terms of security.
After the completion of the current training session, these Afghan cadets would become part of the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) but now they are facing an uncertain future.
Although, the Indian government has not yet recognized the Taliban, but after the completion of their training in the IMA, their fate remains in suspense. In such a situation, these cadets may also face Taliban detention if they return to Afghanistan.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs runs the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program as an initiative to build better relations with friendly countries. Under this program, cadets from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Myanmar and some other friendly countries are trained at IMA Dehradun.
