ANA Special Operations Command

Afghan commandos from the Sixth Commando Kandak wait for two Mil Mi-17 "Hip" helicopters of the Afghan Air Force to land as they practice infiltration techniques at Camp Morehead in the outer regions of Kabul.

The Afghan National Army Special Operations Command (ANASOC) was a special forces formation of the Afghan National Army, established in 2011 and effectively dispersed after the defeat of the government by the Taliban in 2021.

The ANA commandos comprised only seven percent of the Afghan defence and security forces, however they may have fought in 70 percent to 80 percent of the fighting during the War in Afghanistan.^[1]

History[]

Predecessors[]

Afghan Army special forces date their history to the 1970s at least. There were several elite army units in the 1970s, for instance, the 26th Airborne Battalion,^[2] 444th, 37th and . Urban writes that a unit designated the 26th Airborne Regiment, upgraded from the 262nd Airborne Battalion, was stationed at Bala Hissar fort in Kabul until 1980, but was subsequently moved to Bagram and reformed.^[3] The 26th Airborne Battalion proved politically unreliable, and in 1980 they initiated a rebellion against the PDPA government.

The Commando Brigades were, in contrast, considered reliable and were used as mobile strike forces until they sustained excessive casualties. Insurgents ambushed and inflicted heavy casualties on the 38th Commando Brigade during the Second Battle of Zhawar in Paktika Province in May 1983.^[4] After sustaining heavy casualties the commando brigades were turned into battalions.^[5]

Origins[]

In July 2007, the ANA graduated its first commandos, intended to form a battalion. The commandos underwent a grueling three-month course being trained by U.S. Special Operations Forces. They were fully equipped with U.S. equipment, receiving specialized light infantry training with the capability to conduct raids, direct action, and reconnaissance in support of counterinsurgency operations; and they provided a strategic response capability for the Afghan government.^[6]

Training was conducted at the Morehead Commando Training Center (Rish Khor camp), a former Taliban training compound located ten kilometres (six miles) south of Kabul. The camp was reported as being in either Wardak Province or Kabul Province. Supply, logistics and operations training was conducted by mentors from Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, United States Special Operations Forces, French Special Forces, and ANA Commando personnel themselves.^[7]

By the end of 2008, the six ANA commando battalions were stationed in the southern region of Afghanistan assisting the Canadian forces.

Foundation[]

A special operations unit was first conceptualized in 2009 and established in 2010.^[8]

The first Special Forces team, whose soldiers were selected from the ANA Commandos (this practice was discontinued later to preserve commando capability), finished training in May 2010. The organization was based on the US Army Special Forces.^[9][10] Initially all the Special Forces candidates were planned to come from the Commando Kandak (Commando Battalion), only requiring 10 weeks of training. However, after the initial period it was planned that Special Forces recruiting was to be conducted throughout the Army, and initial Special Forces training was to be 15 weeks. Commando graduates of the special forces course would retain their 'commando' tab and would also have a 'special forces' tab on top of the commando tab in addition to receiving a tan beret. These candidates were normally selected after serving four years as a Commando.^[8]

In May 2010 the first class of the ANA Special Forces graduated from their 10-week qualification course and moved on to the operational portion of their training. In November 2010, the ANA Special Forces Class 1 received their tan berets in a ceremony at Camp Morehead after completing 26 weeks of on-the-job training partnered with US Special Forces. The initial selection involved taking the 145 commandos who volunteered, putting them through a one-week qualification process (similar to the one used in the United States), and finding, as in the US, that only about half (69) passed. These Special Forces soldiers formed the first four A-Teams (of 15 men each). Some of the just-graduated special forces soldiers used to help US Special Operations Forces train the 2nd class of candidates.^[11] Special Forces were trained to focus on interacting with the population through jirgas with village elders, but capable of unilateral operations.^[12] A second ANA Special Forces class completed training in December 2010.^[13]

The force numbered 646 Special Forces operators in December 2011.^[14] This unit also had female Special Forces operators to interact with female civilians, such as searches, interviews or medical examinations. There were plans to create one Special Forces platoon of just female operators so they could interact with women and children.^[8]

The first formation of the 1st Commando Brigade headquarters was dissolved in order to provide personnel for the forming ANA Special Operations Command headquarters.^[15] to fill the gap, a new, second, 1st Commando Brigade headquarters staff was established. The 2nd Commando Brigade headquarters was planned to be operational by September 2011. The 1st Special Forces Brigade was also established, modeled on the United States Army Special Forces model. The brigade’s missions were planned to include ‘internal defence’ and ‘SOF reconnaissance’ as well as ‘direct action.’

Establishment of full Command[]

From mid-2011, the ANA began establishing a full command, the ANA Special Operations Command, to control the ANA Commando Brigade and the ANA Special Forces. In 2011, ANASOC consisted of 7,809 commandos and 646 special forces personnel.^[14]

In July 2012, the Special Operations Command was officially established as a formation with the status of a division, including a command and staff. Reportedly the command had between 10,000 and 11,000 special operations soldiers by December 2012.^[16][17] Previously this was organised as one brigade with 8 kandaks, all with a minimum of 6 companies. Because the ANASOC had grown to larger than a brigade in size, it was anticipated that it would be split into 3 – 4 brigades, one of which would be a Special Forces Brigade.

An Air Force Special Mission Wing, inaugurated in July 2012, was established to work with ANASOC.^[18] A later DOD story said that the unit, the smallest in the Special Security Forces, "was originally established in 2006 as the Afghan Air Interdiction Unit assigned to the Ministry of Interior and re-flagged as the 777th Special Mission Wing." ..The SMW used "Mi-17 helicopters and PC-12 fixed-wing aircraft."^[19]

As of April 2012, the reported strength of the Commandos (as opposed to the whole ANASOC) was 8,500 men organized into eight kandaks, as well as one group of 500 Special Operations troops.^[20]

On September 20, 2014, local officials in Ghazni Province reported that Taliban insurgents from different regions of Afghanistan led by camouflaged men wearing black masks captured several villages, set at least 60 homes on fire, killed more than 100 people and beheaded 15 family members of local police officers. The masked insurgents reportedly carried the black flag of the Islamic State, openly called themselves soldiers of Daesh, and did not speak any local languages.^[21] Deputy Police Chief, General Asadullah Ensafi, reported that Taliban ambushes stopped reinforcements from the regionally responsible ANA and provincial police from reaching the area. However, Afghan special forces inserted by helicopter were able to reinforce units already defending the area and Ensafi reported that the "immediate threat to [the] district's center had been nullified."^[21]

In mid-late 2017 the Afghanistan Analysts Network wrote that the two special operations brigades were:^[22]

..made up of four and the other of five Special Operations Kandaks (battalions, SOKs) that were aligned with regional ANA Corps. The US DoD stated in June 2017 that “[t]he SOKs are the primary tactical elements of the ANASOC, and they conduct elite, light-infantry operations against threat networks in support of the regional corps’ counterinsurgency operations and provide a ..response capability against strategic targets.” An additional, separate Special Operations Kandak, the 6th SOK based in Kabul, functioned “as the ANA’s national mission unit,” providing “the President of Afghanistan and the [Chief of General Staff] with a rapidly deployable special operations force able to respond to national-level crises throughout Afghanistan.”

Commandos were used to spearhead challenging fights and were regarded as one of the best units in the region.^[23]

The National Mission Brigade was activated on July 31, 2017, and took over command of the 6th Special Operations Kandak and the Ktah Khas. The Ktah Khas was '..often referred to as the Afghan Partner Unit.. a light infantry special operations unit consisting of three companies and support elements.'^[24] In addition to the 6th SOK and the Ktah Khas, later reports indicated that two Special Forces Kandaks may have eventually been added.^[14]

In August 2017, the New York Times reported that the strength of the Afghan Commandos was 21,000, with an increase to 30,000 as a goal.^[25] The same month, General John W. Nicholson Jr., the commander of the Resolute Support Mission, said: "The [commandos] have never lost a battle...The Taliban have never won against the commandos...They never will."^[26]

With the December 2017 approval of the Fiscal Year 2018 tashkil (Table of Organisation), ANASOC was authorized a strength of 16,040 personnel, organised into four Special Operations Brigades (SOB) and a National Mission Brigade (NMB).^[14] By 2021, there were at least two special operations brigades (1st, 2nd).

2021 Taliban offensive[]

In July 2021, during the 2021 Taliban offensive, Turkey agreed to host future training of the Afghan Commandos, with airlifting beginning immediately.^[27]

During the Taliban offensive, the Commandos fought tenaciously and were seen as the Afghan military's best-trained and most highly motivated troops. The commandos were deployed on mass across a vast geographical area, however this isolated many units as they were abandoned by other ANA units and locals. In June 2021, 50 commandos managed to recapture Dawlat Abad from the Taliban, however after receiving no reinforcements, commandos were encircled and made a desperate last stand. Those that survived and were captured were executed by the Taliban.^[28][29]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Isby, David (1986). Russia's War in Afghanistan. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85045-691-2.
• "NATO Resolute Support | New Afghan special operations unit will bolster national security". rs.nato.int. 2017-08-05. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
• Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, "Afghan Special Mission Wing: DoD Moving Forward with $771.8 Million Purchase of Aircraft that the Afghans Cannot Operate and Maintain," SIGAR Audit 13-13, June 2013. Qualified Afghan personnel and equipment maintenance were short, and the divided Ministry of Defence - Ministry of the Interior organisation presented problems, potentially jeopardizing $771.8 million in planned but not-yet-arrived U.S.-funded aircraft. The SIG called for the suspension of contracts awarded for the new aircraft until a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence.