Afghan National Army Commando Corps

The training is conducted at the Morehead Commando Training Center, a former Taliban training compound located six miles south of Kabul, Afghanistan. The training center is named after United States Army 5th Special Forces Group soldier Master Sergeant Kevin Morehead, who was killed in Iraq in September 2003.[8]

The training of supply, logistics and operations has been conducted by mentors from Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, United States Special Operations Forces, French Special Forces, and ANA Commando cadre.[9]

The 12-week program has three concurrent training sections for the entire course. The primary and bulk of the training is 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 receives special training in specific skills such as mortars, medical care, and communications. The third section focuses on the kandak staff, their core areas of responsibility and function as the Command and Control (C2).[8]

Upon graduation, each Commando Kandak returns to its designated Corps area along with an embedded U.S. Army Special Forces A-Team and begins 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 have been rotating responsibility as the main effort for continued training and advising in the Afghanistan theater.[10]

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.[11]

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.[12] 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.[6]

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. [13]
• 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.[14]
• 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.[15]
• 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.[16]
• 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.[17]
• 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.[18]
• 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[19]

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.[20] 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.[21]

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 assisted the Commando kandak in disrupting the Taliban hold on the Tag Ab Valley.[22]

6th Commando Kandak, perform 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.[23]

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.[24]

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.[25]

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.[26]

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.[27] See Battle of Shok Valley

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."[28] In March 2013, U.S. special operations forces handed over their strategic base in Wardak Province to local Afghan commandos.[29] Afghan commandos gradually began taking over the lead from NATO forces the fight against insurgents.[30] In April 2013, Afghan commandos killed 22 insurgents in Nangarhar Province and captured another 10 insurgents.[31]

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.[32] 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."[32] For further information see 2014 ISIL beheading incidents.