KABUL - The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Saturday said that special arrangements had been put in place to celebrate the 96th Independence Day with zeal and enthusiasm.

Speaking to reporters, Dawlat Waziri, deputy spokesman at the MoD, said the special celebrations would be made this year in which high ranking government officials, diplomats and foreign envoys would be invited.

It would be the 19th August 1919 when King Amanullah Khan declared Afghanistan as an independent state giving a clear message to the British Empire that Afghanistan was not their colony. Since then 19 August is celebrated as the country’s Independent Day.

Addressing a press conference, Waziri rejected pentagon report about surge in Afghan security forces causalities this year. The report said that 4,300 Afghan security men had been killed in the first six months of the ongoing year.

The deputy spokesman, however, said there was slight surge in the casualties of Afghan forces as compared to previous year, but did not agree with the number mentioned in the pentagon report.

He said taking full charge of security responsibilities was one of the reason behind increased in causalities.

He said militants had stepped up anti-state activities recently in order to show that Afghan security forces were unable to maintain law and order. (Pajhwok)