President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday officially upgraded the Special Forces Unit and Special Operations Division to a military corps.

Ghani said the number of Special Forces will increase and that insurgents will be targeted more and more.

Ghani said General Bismillah Waziri will be appointed as the commander in chief of the Special Operation Military Corps.

At the begging of the year when I came here, I told you two things: to change the division to a military corps and to appoint General Waziri as the commander of the military corps, said Ghani.

Right now the number of Special Forces in the country totals 13,000 but according to Ghani, this number will increase to 30,000.

Ghani also sent a message to the insurgents saying if you (insurgents) do not leave war and violence, the Special Forces will make you do so.

When you become more effective, you make the enemy worry. I have a message to the enemies of the country: Lay down your weapons, or the Special Forces will make you do so, Ghani added.

Meanwhile, acting defense minister, Tariq Shah Bahrami, said the Special Forces so far have not allowed the insurgents to achieve their strategic goals.

Your successful operations changed the war status and the enemy could not reach their big and strategic goals that they had set, said Bahrami.

Promoting the Special Operation Division to a military corps is part of the Four Year Security Plan.