Afghan National Army Commando Corps

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Afghan National Army Commando Corps
Pashto: قول اردوی نیروهای خاص‎
ANA Commando Brigade SSI.svg
Insignia of the Afghan National Army Commando Corps
Active24 July 2007 - August 2021
Country Afghanistan
BranchAfghan National Army emblem.svg Afghan National Army
TypeCommando
RoleCounter-terrorism
Reconnaissance
Size21,000 commandos (2017)[1][2]
Part ofANA Special Operations Command
HeadquartersCamp Morehead, Kabul Province, Afghanistan[3]
Insignia
Corps flagANA Commando Brigade Flag.svg

The Afghan National Army Commando Corps (formerly ANA Commando Brigade;[4] ANA Commando Battalion[3]) was a commando force of the Afghan National Army (ANA). The Commando Corps was formed from existing Infantry battalions. The program was established in early 2007 with the intent of taking one conventional infantry kandak (battalion) from each of the regional ANA corps, giving them special training and equipment, and reorganizing based on the United States Army Rangers. Each battalion was assigned to one of the six regional corps. During the Taliban insurgency, the commandos comprised 7% of the Afghan National Security Forces but conducted 70% to 80% of the fighting.[5]

In August 2017, 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."[6] Commandos were used to spearhead challenging fights and were regarded as one of the best units in the region.[7]

On August 17, 2021, surviving ANA commandos were reported to be moving to Panjshir, joining the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.[8][9][10] Videos of distraught commandos refusing to surrender their weapons after the fall of Afghanistan appeared online (with one commando stating: "I will not give the Punjab/Taliban my weapon... let me fight for my country.")[11] After the fall of Kabul, a group of 500-600 Commandos refused to surrender and assisted US forces in the evacuation process in the Hamid Karzai International Airport.[12]

Predecessors[]

Commandos in the Afghan Army date their history to the 1970s. There were several elite army units in the 1970s, for instance, the 26th Airborne Battalion,[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] After sustaining heavy casualties the commando brigades were turned into battalions.[16]

Selection and training[]

Training was conducted at the Morehead Commando Training Center, a former Taliban training compound located six miles south of Kabul, Afghanistan. The training center was named after a United States Army 5th Special Forces Group soldier, Master Sergeant Kevin Morehead, who was killed in Iraq in September 2003.[17]

The training of supply, logistics and operations was conducted by mentors from Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, United States Special Operations Forces, French Special Forces, and ANA Commando cadre.[18]

The 12-week program had three concurrent training sections for the entire course. The primary and bulk of the training was geared for the infantry toli (company), with a focus on individual skills and small unit tactics. To support the line companies, the Headquarters and Headquarters Toli received special training in specific skills such as mortars, medical care, and communications. The third section focused on the kandak staff, their core areas of responsibility and function as the Command and Control (C2).[17]

Upon graduation, each Commando Kandak returned to its designated Corps area along with an embedded U.S. Army Special Forces A-Team, and began using an 18-week training cycle that breaks down to six weeks each of train-up, missions and recovery. Of the five active duty United States Special Forces Groups, 3rd Group and 7th Group had rotating responsibility as the main effort for continued training and advising in the Afghanistan theater.[19]

Recent developments[]

ISAF reports that while the original plan was for one Brigade with six Kandaks (Battalions), the ANA wanted a full division with three Brigades and 15 Kandaks.[20]

As of April 2012, the reported strength of the ANA Commandos was 8,500 men organized into 8 kandaks, as well as one group of 500 Special Operations troops.[21] 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.[5]

In July 2021, shortly before the fall of Kabul, Turkey agreed to host future training of the Afghan Commandos, with airlifting beginning immediately.[22]

After the fall of Kabul[]

Main article: Fall of Kabul (2021)

Following the fall of Kabul under the control of the Taliban, several ANA commandos refused to surrender and started to converge towards the Panjshir Valley to join the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.[23]

Around 500–600 Afgan troops made up mostly of commandos were reported to have also refused to surrender in Kabul and instead joined up with US forces in the Hamid Karzai International Airport helping them secure the outer perimeter of the airport during the evacuation.[12]

Britain is contemplating recruiting Afghan commandos who were evacuated to the UK to be part of the British Army after the Afghan military was defeated.[24]

Graduating classes[]

Members of the 201st Commando Kandak prior to a mission in 2008
Afghan National Army commandos
  • The 1st Commando Kandak (Battalion) - graduated on July 24, 2007 - stationed with the 201st 'Selab' (Flood) Corps of the Afghan National Army.[25]
  • The 2nd Commando Kandak - graduated on October 16, 2007 - stationed with the 3rd Brigade (Gardez) of the 203rd 'Tandar' (Thunder) Corps of the Afghan National Army.[26]
  • The 3rd Commando Kandak - graduated on January 30, 2008 - stationed with the 1st Brigade (Kandahar) of the 205th 'Atal' (Hero) Corps of the Afghan National Army.[27]
  • The 4th Commando Kandak - graduated on May 8, 2008 - stationed with the 1st Brigade (Herat) of the 207th 'Zafar' (Victory) Corps of the Afghan National Army.[27]
  • The 5th Commando Kandak - graduated in October 2008 - stationed with the 1st Brigade (Meymanah) of the 209th 'Shaheen' (Falcon) Corps of the Afghan National Army.[27]
  • The 6th Commando Kandak - graduated in May 2009, stationed with the 1st Commando Brigade of the Afghan National Army
  • The 7th Commando Kandak - graduated on January 21, 2010, stationed with the 215th 'Maiwand' (Battle) Corps of the Afghan National Army.[27]
  • The 8th Commando Kandak "Lamer & Sun" - graduated on May 6, 2011, stationed with the 1st Commando Brigade of the Afghan National Army.
  • The 9th Commando Kandak "Cobra" - graduated on August 17, 2010, stationed with the 1st Commando Brigade of the Afghan National Army.
  • The National Mission Brigade - August 5, 2017[28]

Operational history[]

Main article: NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan
7th Commando Kandak (Battalion) in 2010

September 2007: The first ANA Commando Kandak graduated on July 24, 2007, with Col. Fareed Ahmadi as the kandak commander.[29] This ANA Commando Kandak conducted its first operation, a two-day mission in September 2007, 30 miles southwest of Jalalabad in the Sherzad district of Nangarhar province. There they captured two large weapons caches, over 80 kg of opium and detained Haji Shir Khan, a known improvised explosive device maker.[30]

November 2007: 3rd Toli, 1st Commando Kandak (201st), conducted an air-assault raid at dawn on the compound of a high-level Taliban facilitator, kicking off a four-day offensive operation named Operation Commando Fury in the Tag Ab Valley, Kapisa Province, Nov. 10–14, 2007. A joint effort by the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army (ANA) assisted the Commando kandak in disrupting the Taliban hold on the Tag Ab Valley.[31]

6th Commando Kandak, performing a clearing exercise in Kabul Province.

December 2007: The second ANA Commando Kandak, originally from the 203rd Corps, conducted a series of raids throughout the Sabari district in Afghanistan's Khowst Province, Dec. 27–28, 2007. During the operation, the force arrested a suspected major insurgent facilitator primarily associated with the Hizb-i-Islami Afghanistan terrorist organization and believed to have ties to the Haqqani network terrorist group, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The combined Afghan force conducted the two-day operation without a shot being fired.[32]

January 2008: The Third ANA Commando Kandak, originally from the 205th Corps, along with Coalition forces, conducted a four-day operation to disrupt insurgents activity in the volatile Tag Ab Valley of Kapisa Province January 19–23, 2008. The Third Commando Kandak patrolled the Naghlu Reservoir to the village of Jangali in order to disrupt insurgent activities in the center of the valley as the combined force moved north. This operation served as a graduation exercise to providing confidence in the abilities of the newly formed Commando Kandak.[33]

Afghan commandos preparing for an air assault mission

February 2008: The second ANA Commando Kandak (203rd Corps), along with Coalition forces, captured a key insurgent facilitator in Khost Province February 9, 2008. The Ministry of Defense announced that ANA forces captured a known Taliban commander, Nasimulla, during a combined operation in the Dand Faqiran area of Yaqubi District.[34]

February 2008: 1st Toli of the First ANA Commando Kandak (201st), conducted a night air-assault raid in the Helmand Province to capture the Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Bari. Bari was one of the top remaining Taliban field commanders able to launch deadly attacks in Helmand and Uruzgan province. He led Taliban operations against the British in northern Helmand province in the Kajaki, Musa Qala, and Baghran districts. Bari was the former governor of Helmand under the Taliban regime.

The operation, named "Say Laab", meaning flood, utilized multiple helicopters and put over 100 commandos onto four separate targets simultaneously. The operation captured 11 combatants as well as destroying six enemy vehicles containing thousands of pounds of weapons and munitions, as well as nearly $8 million of illegal narcotics. Bari and 29 Taliban fighters were killed during the five-hour-long operation. The exact date of the operation wasn't given, but was reported by CJTF-82 media center on March 1, 2008.[35]

April 2008: one Commando Kandak (unknown designation) conducted operations in Nuristan Province on April 6, reportedly netted several members of the terrorist group Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG). The mission led to a coalition airstrike that, along with the ground fighting, left as many as 20 insurgents dead.[36]

An ANA Commando with the 3rd Tolai, 1st SOK, patrols through a poppy field during a clearing operation in the Khogyani district, Nangarhar province, o 9 May 2013.

In July 2012, the Afghan commandos conducted their first successful night operation. Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told the media that: "Last night in Afghanistan, US special operations joined Afghan commandos from the first special operations battalion in a full mission exercise demonstrating a night air assault. This was an Afghan plan, an Afghan-led mission. Afghan pilots flew four helicopters during the exercise, which involved more than 50 Afghan commandos, and US special operations forces acting in an advisory capacity. In the exercise, the commandos successfully discovered and apprehended a person of interest, recovered weapons and intelligence."[37] In March 2013, U.S. special operations forces handed over their strategic base in Wardak Province to local Afghan commandos.[38] Afghan commandos gradually began taking over the lead from NATO forces the fight against insurgents.[39] In April 2013, Afghan commandos killed 22 insurgents in Nangarhar Province and captured another 10 insurgents.[40]

On September 20, 2014, local officials in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, reported that Taliban insurgents from different regions of the country led by camouflaged men wearing black masks and captured several villages, set at least 60 homes on fire, killed more than 100 people and beheaded fifteen family members of local police officers. The masked insurgents reportedly carried the black flag of ISIL, openly called themselves soldiers of Daesh, and did not speak any local languages.[41] Deputy Police Chief, General Asadullah Ensafi, reported that Taliban ambushes stopped reinforcements from the Afghan National Army and provincial police from reaching the area. Afghan commandos inserted by helicopter were able to reinforce units already defending the area and Ensafi reported that the "immediate threat to district's center had been nullified."[41]

References[]

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  2. ^ "Special Operations: Afghans Create A-Teams". Strategypage.com. 2010-05-23. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Afghan National Army update, May 2011 | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. May 9, 2011.
  4. ^ http://www.claws.in/images/journals_doc/247123005_RohitSingh2.pdf
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Cooper, Helene (2017-08-20). "Afghan Forces Are Praised, Despite Still Relying Heavily on U.S. Help". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  6. ^ "PRESS CONFERENCE STATEMENT BY GENERAL JOHN NICHOLSON, COMMANDER, NATO". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  7. ^ "Afghanistan stunned by scale and speed of security forces' collapse". The Guardian. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  8. ^ Hakemy, Sulaiman (August 17, 2021). "Panjshir: The last bastion of anti-Taliban resistance in Afghanistan". The National. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Kagrana, Bhavyata. "Afghan Commando calls for resistance 2.0 against Taliban, reaches Panjshir with team". Republic World. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
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  11. ^ Afghan Commando Refuses Order To Surrender His Weapon, retrieved 2021-08-20[better source needed]
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Regencia, Tamila Varshalomidze,Usaid Siddiqui,Ted. "Biden keeps to August 31 deadline for Kabul airlift". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  13. ^ Kenneth Conboy, 'Elite Forces of India and Pakistan,' – also covers Afghanistan, including post 1978 coup creation of 26th Parachute Regiment from two previous commando units.
  14. ^ Urban, War in Afghanistan, 312.
  15. ^ Lester W. Grau & Ali Ahmad Jalali (2001). "The Campaign for the Caves:The battles for Zhawar in the Soviet‐Afghan war". Journal of Slavic Military Studies. 14 (3). doi:10.1080/13518040108430488.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  16. ^ Isby 1986, p. 19.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b US Department of Defense, Gates Visits New Afghan Commando Training Site
  18. ^ USA Today, France to withdraw 200 special forces from Afghanistan
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  21. ^ "Sky News Australia - Top Stories Article". Skynews.com.au. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
  22. ^ "NATO Shifts Training of Afghan Commandos to Turkey". sofrep.com. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
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  24. ^ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelpeck/2021/09/01/afghanistans-elite-commandos-may-join-the-british-army/?sh=43c243756ef3
  25. ^ Military Times, "SF team sgt. lauds Afghan aid in Shok Valley", October 6, 2009.
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  30. ^ US Department of Defense, Afghan Commandos Nab Taliban Leader in First Raid
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  33. ^ Combined Joint Task Force - 82, Afghan commandos make presence known in volatile Tag Ab Valley Archived 2008-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
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  36. ^ The Christian Science Monitor, AMERICANS BUILD ELITE AFGHAN COMMANDO FORCE
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  41. ^ Jump up to: a b Rahim, Fazul; Smith, Alexander (September 26, 2014). "ISIS-Allied Militants Behead 15 During Afghanistan Offensive: Official". NBC News. Retrieved September 27, 2014.

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