We received calls thanking us for Ashaiman operation after soldier was killed -  DG of Armed Forces Public Affairs

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) says it received praise for the intervention in Ashaiman, following the killing of a soldier - Sherrif Imoro in the area.

Brigadier General Eric Aggrey Quarshie, Director General of Public Affairs of the GAF, said his outfit has been thanked by numerous people for the operation. 

Speaking at the Annual General Meeting and National Public Relations and Communication Summit of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), Ghana, Brigadier General Quarshie explained that the action was necessary due to Ashaiman’s notoriety for criminal activities.

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He added that, while he was not justifying the operation, the calls received by the GAF were indicative of the positive impact the intervention had.

“I am not defending or justifying our actions but the number of calls that I have received and the institution has received, thanking us for the actions in Ashaiman, you won’t believe it,” he said.

“People are asking us ‘General, when will you do that again?’ Because, if you live within that enclave and at certain times of the day you couldn’t go to certain areas and these things happen, you will appreciate,” Brigadier General Quarshie stated.

Brigadier General Quarshie also suggested that the use and management of social media should be reviewed, given that some of the pictures of the operation were taken by soldiers and posted on their social media pages. 

He said that the issue would have been handled differently if not for the pictures, and suggested that stakeholders should engage in discussions about how to deal with similar incidents in future.

“The funny thing is that some of the pictures you saw were taken by soldiers and posted on their Facebook and WhatsApp pages,” Brigadier General Quarshie stated.

“But for that, some of the issues may not have come out. But I just want you to know that there are a lot of people who are happy that we entered those areas in Ashaiman. Maybe if you live around that place, you will appreciate,” he explained.

The operation

The operation was authorized by the Military High Command following the alleged killing of a young military officer, Trooper Imoro Sherrif, by unknown assailants in the town on March 4, 2023.

Aimed at finding the perpetrators of the crime, it left many unsuspecting civilian residents of Ashaiman with various degrees of injuries, with others confined to their households for hours in fear of falling victim.

About 184 persons were reportedly arrested during the exercise by the military, with some tortured and others subjected to all kinds of inhumane treatment.