KABUL
Afghanistan on Wednesday sacked nine army officers for negligence after the Taliban killed 21 soldiers and kidnapped several others in a raid on a border post near Pakistan.
A brigade commander and military intelligence chiefs were among those to lose their jobs, the Defence Ministry said in a statement, adding that the officers could also face prosecution.
“The decision was taken by high council of defence after the army chief of staff briefed the council about the incident,” the ministry said.
Hundreds of militants stormed the outpost in the eastern province of Kunar on Sunday, triggering a four-hour battle that left 21 soldiers dead and five others missing.
The pre-dawn attack, which was claimed by the Taliban, was the deadliest strike on Afghan troops in recent months.
After the attack, President Hamid Karzai blamed Islamabad for failing to crack down on the Taliban safe havens in Pakistan, where militant leaders seek sanctuary from Afghan and US military operations.
Pakistan also blames Afghanistan for giving sanctuaries to Pakistani Taliban, including their chief Mullah Fazlullah in Kunar province.
Although Washington will continue quietly arm-twisting the two sides a little longer, President Barack Obama is reported to be worried that US diplomacy is starting to appear “desperate”.
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