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| image = Arms of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.svg
| caption = The emblem of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan serves as the badge for all branches of the armed forces
| start_date = {{circa|1722}}<br>2021 ''(modern form)''
| country = [[Afghanistan]]
| type = [[Army]]
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}}
 
The '''Islamic National Army''' ({{Lang-Langx|ps|اسلامي ملي اردو}}, {{Transliteration|ps|Islāmī Milli Urdu|}}),<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1604062391133683712|user=MoDAfghanistan2|title=In the meeting, the officials called the national unity in the ranks of the Islamic Army necessary and assured that they will prepare such an Islamic National Army that will be the protector of Islamic values, national unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity...|access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Acting Minister of Defense Meets Fresh Recruited Soldiers of Panjshir Province – Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan |date=15 October 2022 |url=https://www.alemarahenglish.af/acting-minister-of-defense-meets-fresh-recruited-soldiers-of-panjshir-province/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=khan |first=zahir |date=2023-03-10 |title=Deputy Commander of Armed Forces visits borders of the country |url=https://www.alemarahenglish.af/deputy-commander-of-armed-forces-visits-borders-of-the-country/ |access-date=2023-08-18 |website=Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Исламский Эмират Афганистан. |language=en-US}}</ref> also referred to as the '''Islamic Emirate Army''' and the '''Afghan Army''', is the [[army|land force]] branch of the [[Afghan Armed Forces]]. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when the [[Hotak dynasty]] was established in [[Kandahar]] followed by [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]]'s rise to power. It was reorganized in 1880 during [[Emir of Afghanistan|Emir]] [[Abdur Rahman Khan]]'s reign.{{sfn|Nyrop|Seekins|1986|p=290–291}} Afghanistan remained [[Neutrality (international relations)|neutral]] during the [[World War I|First]] and [[World War II|Second World Wars]]. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the Afghan Army was equipped by the [[Soviet Union]].{{sfn|Giustozzi|2016}}
 
After the resignation of [[President of Afghanistan|President]] [[Mohammad Najibullah|Najibullah]] in 1992, the army effectively dissolved. In 1996 the [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]] (Taliban regime) took power, creating their own army, which lasted until the [[United States invasion of Afghanistan]] in October–November 2001.
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Historically, [[Afghans]] have served in the army of the [[Ghaznavids]] (963–c.1187), [[Ghurid dynasty|Ghurids]] (1148–1215), [[Delhi Sultanate]] (1206–1527), and the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]] (1526–1858).<ref>{{Cite book|title=E.J. Brill's first encyclopedia of Islam 1913–1936 |last1=Houtsma |first1=M. Th.|year=1993|publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-09796-4|pages=150–51 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GEl6N2tQeawC&pg=PA150 |access-date=2010-09-24}}</ref> The Afghan Army traces its origin to the early 18th century when the [[Hotak dynasty]] rose to power in [[Kandahar]] and defeated the [[Persian people|Persian]] [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid Empire]] at the [[Battle of Gulnabad]] in 1722.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://persian.packhum.org/persian/pf?file=90001014&ct=30|title=AN OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF PERSIA DURING THE LAST TWO CENTURIES (A.D. 1722–1922)|pages=29–31|work=Edward G. Browne|publisher=[[Packard Humanities Institute]]|location=London|access-date=2010-09-24}}</ref>
 
When [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] formed the [[Durrani Empire]] in 1747, in general, tribes were responsible for providing troops to the king. The only national army that existed during Ahmad Shah's time consisted of small groups that functioned as royal bodyguards.{{sfn|Nyrop|Seekins|1986|p=289}} The Afghan Army fought a number of battles in the [[Punjab region]] of [[Indian subcontinent|India]] during the 19th century. One of the famous battles was the [[Battle of Panipat (1761)|1761 Battle of Panipat]] in which the Afghan army decisively defeated the [[Hindu]] [[Maratha Confederacy|Maratha Empire]].{{sfn|Nyrop|Seekins|1986|p=17-18}} The Afghans then fought with the [[Sikh Empire]], until finally, the Sikh Marshal [[Hari Singh Nalwa]] died and Sikh conquests stopped. In 1839, the British successfully [[First Anglo-Afghan War|invaded]] Afghanistan and installed the exiled [[Shah Shujah Durrani]] into power. Their occupation of Afghanistan was challenged after Dost Mohammad's son, [[Wazir Akbar Khan]] and the forces he led revolted against the occupying British. By October 1841 disaffected Afghan tribes were flocking to the support of Wazir Akbar Khan in Bamian.{{sfn|Nyrop|Seekins|1986|p=29}} The success of Akbar Khan's uprising led to the [[1842 retreat from Kabul]] where the Afghan army decimated British forces, thanks to effective use of the rugged terrain and weapons such as the [[Jezail]].{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}
[[File:Afghan infantry.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Afghan infantry soldier in 1890]]
 
At the outbreak of the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]] (1878–80), [[Ali Ahmad Jalali]] cites sources saying that the regular army was about 50,000 strong and consisted of 62 infantry and 16 cavalry regiments, with 324 guns mostly organized in horse and mountain artillery batteries.{{sfn|Jalali|2002}} Jalali writes that '..although Amir [[Sher Ali Khan|Shir Ali Khan]] (1863–78) is widely credited for founding the modern Afghan Army, it was only under [[Abdur Rahman Khan|Abdur Rahman]] that it became a viable and effective institution.'{{sfn|Jalali|2002|p=76}} The [[Library of Congress Country Study]] for Afghanistan states that when Abdur Rahman came to the throne [c.circa 1880]:{{sfn|Nyrop|Seekins|1986|p=290–291}}
 
<blockquote>"..the army was virtually nonexistent. With the assistance of a liberal financial loan from the British, plus their aid in the form of weapons, ammunition, and other military supplies, [Abdur Rahman] began a 20-year task of creating a respectable regular force by instituting measures that formed the long-term basis of the military system. These included increasing the equalization of military obligation by setting up a system known as the hasht nafari (whereby one man in every eight between the ages of 20 and 40 took his turn at military service); constructing an arsenal in Kabul to reduce dependence on foreign sources for small arms and other ordnance; introducing supervised training courses; organizing troops into divisions, brigades, and regiments, including battalions of artillery; developing pay schedules; and introducing an elementary (and harsh) disciplinary system.</blockquote>
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* “'''Academy'''” ('''اکادمی'''), worn by recruits who were still in a military academy
* “'''Infantry'''” ('''پیاده'''),<ref name="ina.fr">{{Cite web |title=Voyage dans l'Afghanistan du début des années 60 {{!}} INA |url=https://www.ina.fr/ina-eclaire-actu/voyage-dans-l-afghanistan-du-debut-des-annees-60 |access-date=2024-04-30 |website=ina.fr |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Katju |first=Vivek |date=2023-08-10 |title=Coup, chaos, and Taliban: The turbulent history of modern Afghanistan |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/world-affairs/coup-chaos-and-taliban-the-turbulent-history-of-modern-afghanistan/article67145161.ece |access-date=2024-04-30 |website=Frontline |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Штурм дворца Амина: версия военного разведчика [Владимир Михайлович Кошелев] (fb2) картинки и рисунки |url=https://coollib.net/b/394213-vladimir-mihaylovich-koshelev-shturm-dvortsa-amina-versiya-voennogo-razvedchika/image |website=coollib.net |language=Ru}}</ref> the most common insignia, worn by most soldiers who have finished training and graduated from the academy
* “'''Cavalry'''” ('''سواری'''), worn by the Royal Afghan Army's cavalrymen on horseback
* “'''Artillery'''” ('''طومي'''), worn by artillery men
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{{See also|Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan}}
[[File:SCUD 2.JPG|thumb|right|250px|In 1989, the Soviet Union transferred numbers of [[Scud missile]]s, a [[tactical ballistic missile]], as seen in the footage in 2004.]]
On 27 April 1978 the [[People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan]], led by [[Nur Mohammad Taraki]], [[Babrak Karmal]] and Amin [[Saur Revolution|overthrew the regime of Mohammad Daoud]], who was killed the next day, along with most of his family.{{sfn|Giustozzi|2016|pages=28–29}} On 1 May, Taraki became [[President (government title)|President]], [[Prime Minister]] and [[General Secretary]] of the PDPA. The country was then renamed the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA), and the PDPA regimegovernment lasted until April 1992.
 
In 1980, under President [[Babrak Karmal]], the [[Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan)|Ministry of Defense]] drafted plans to form three Spetsnaz battalions for each of the army corps. A year later, in 1981, the [[203rd Separate Spetsnaz Battalion]] was formed (alongside the 212th, 230th and 211th) under the [[Central Corps|1st Central Army Corps]] in [[Kabul]] and subordinated to [[KHAD|KhAD-e Nezami]] (military intelligence). The 203rd Battalion reportedly worked alongside the [[Spetsnaz GRU]] and the [[Soviet Border Troops]], as well as with the [[Soviet Airborne Forces]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-15 |script-title=ru:«Пожарная команда» Кабула |url=https://warspot.ru/21620-pozharnaya-komanda-kabula |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104032737/https://warspot.ru/21620-pozharnaya-komanda-kabula |archive-date=2022-11-04 |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Warspot}}</ref>{{sfn|Urban|1988}}
 
The army lost much of its strength during the early stages of PDPA rule. One of the main reasons for the small size was that the Soviet military were afraid the Afghan army would defect ''[[en masse]]'' to the enemy if total personnel increased. There were several sympathisers of the [[mujahideen]] within the military.{{sfn|Isby|1986|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=k86jifnA3oYC&pg=PA18 18]}} Even so, there were several elite units under the command of the Afghan army, for instance, the 26th Airborne Battalion, 444th, 37th and [[38th Commando Brigade]]s. The 26th Airborne Battalion proved politically unreliable, and in 1979, they revolted against the PDPA government. As a result, the 26th Airborne Battalion was reformed and turned into the 37th Commando Battalion. In the same year, the 81st Artillery Regiment were given airborne training and converted into the 38th Commando Battalion.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ken Conboy |url=http://archive.org/details/elite-forces-of-india-and-pakistan |title=Elite Forces of India and Pakistan |last2=Paul Hannon |date=1992}}</ref> 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 [[Battles of Zhawar|Second Battle of Zhawar]] in [[Paktika Province]] in May 1983.{{sfn|Grau|Jalali|2001}} After sustaining heavy casualties the commando brigades were turned into battalions.{{sfn|Isby|1986|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=k86jifnA3oYC&pg=PA19 19]}}
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Local militias were also important to the Najibullah regime's security efforts. From 1988 several new divisions were formed from former Regional Forces/militias' formations: the [[53rd Infantry Division (Afghanistan)|53rd Infantry Division]] – the "Jowzyani militia" of [[Abdul Rashid Dostum]] raised from [[Sheberghan]], the [[55th Infantry Division (Afghanistan)|55th]], 80th, 93rd, 94th, 95th, and 96th, plus, possibly, a division in [[Lashkar Gah]].{{sfn|Giustozzi|2000|page=220}}{{sfn|Davis|1993}}{{sfn|Davis|1994}}
[[File:Afghan_Army_shoulder_patch_1980.png|thumb|The shoulder patch worn by Afghan National Army soldiers under the [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]]]]
 
As compensation for the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989, the USSR agreed to deliver sophisticated weapons to the regimegovernment, among which were large quantities of [[Scud missile|Scud]] [[surface-to-surface missile]]s.{{sfn|Janes|2001}} The first 500 were transferred during the early months of 1989, and soon proved to be extremely useful, a critical asset. During the mujahideen attack against [[Jalalabad]], between March and June 1989, three firing batteries manned by Afghan crews advised by Soviets fired approximately 438 missiles.{{sfn|Zaloga|2006|page=39}} Soon Scuds were in use in all the heavily contested areas of Afghanistan. After January 1992, the Soviet advisors were withdrawn, reducing the Afghan Army's ability to use their ballistic missiles. On 24 April 1992, the mujahideen forces of [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]] ([[Jamiat-e Islami]]) captured the main [[Scud missile|Scud]] stockpile at [[Afshar, Kabul]], belonging to the [[99th Missile Brigade]]. [[Shia Islam|Shia]] [[Hazaras|Hazara]] groups, such as [[Harakat-e Islami]], additionally gained Scud missile launchers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Müller |first=Lukas |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wings-over-Hindu-Kush-Afghanistan/dp/1913118665 |title=Wings over the Hindu Kush: Air Forces, Aircraft and Air Warfare of Afghanistan, 1989-2001 |date=2020-09-02 |publisher=Helion and Company |isbn=978-1-913118-66-2 |language=English}}</ref> As the government collapsed, the few remaining Scuds and their [[transporter erector launcher]]s were divided among the rival factions fighting for power. However, the missile operators managed to successfully flee and a lack of trained personnel prevented a sustained use of such weapons, and, between April 1992 and 1996, only 44 Scuds were fired in Afghanistan.{{sfn|Zaloga|2006|page=39}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Müller |first=Lukas |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wings-over-Hindu-Kush-Afghanistan/dp/1913118665 |title=Wings over the Hindu Kush: Air Forces, Aircraft and Air Warfare of Afghanistan, 1989-2001 |date=2020-09-02 |publisher=Helion and Company |isbn=978-1-913118-66-2 |language=English}}</ref>
 
=== 1992 and after ===
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The first deployment outside Kabul was made by 3rd Kandak ANA to [[Paktika Province]], including [[Orgun]], in January 2003.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Carlotta Gall |title=An Afghan Army Evolves From Fantasy to Slightly Ragged Reality |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/25/international/asia/25AFGH.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=25 January 2003}}</ref> By January 2003 just over 1,700 soldiers in five ''Kandaks'' ([[battalion]]s) had completed the 10-week training course, and by mid-2003 a total of 4,000 troops had been trained. Approximately 1,000 ANA soldiers were deployed in the US-led [[Operation Warrior Sweep]], marking the first major combat operation for Afghan troops. Initial recruiting problems lay in the lack of cooperation from regional warlords and inconsistent international support. The problem of desertion dogged the force from the outset: in the summer of 2003, the desertion rate was estimated to be 10% and in mid-March 2004, an estimate suggested that 3,000 soldiers had deserted. Some recruits were under 18 years of age and many could not read or write. Recruits who only spoke the Pashto language experienced difficulty because instruction was usually given through interpreters who spoke Dari.
 
The [[Afghan New Beginnings Programme]] (ANBP) was launched on 6 April 2003 and begin disarmament of former Army personnel in October 2003.{{sfn|Bhatia|Sedra|2008|p=122-127}} In March 2004, fighting between two local militias took place in the western Afghan city of [[Herat]]. It was reported that [[Mirwais Sadiq]] (son of warlord Ismail Khan) was assassinated in unclear circumstances. Thereafter a bigger conflict began that resulted in the death of up to 100 people. The battle was between troops of Ismail Khan and Abdul Zahir Nayebzada, a senior local military commander blamed for the death of Sadiq.<ref>{{Cite news |title = Afghan aviation minister assassinated Slaying sparks factional fighting in western city |url = https://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/03/22/afghan_aviation_minister_assassinated/ |date = 22 March 2004 |access-date = 2013-06-29 |work = [[The Boston Globe]] }} and {{Cite news |title = Afghan minister killed in Herat |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3555257.stm |date = 21 March 2004 |access-date = 2013-06-29 |work = BBC News }} and {{Cite news |title = Afghan Aviation Minister Shot Dead |url = httphttps://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/03/21/afghan-aviation-minister-shot-dead/ |date = 21 March 2004 |publisher = FOX News |access-date = 2013-06-29 |agency = Associated Press |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131206110926/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/03/21/afghan-aviation-minister-shot-dead/ |archive-date = 6 December 2013 |url-status = deadlive |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Nayebzada commanded the 17th Herat Division of the Afghan Militia Forces' [[4th Corps (Afghanistan)|4th Corps]]. In response to the fighting, about 1,500 newly trained ANA soldiers were sent to Herat in order to bring the situation under control.
[[File:Construction of ANA base in Herat.jpg|thumb|Construction of Camp Zafar for the ANA in [[Herat Province]] (2005)]]
In addition to the fighting units, establishment of regional structures began when four of the five planned corps commanders and some of their staff were appointed on 1 September 2004. The first regional command was established in Kandahar on 19 September; the second at Gardez on 22 September, with commands at Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat planned.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=25226|title=Defense.gov News Article: Afghan National Army Activates Second Regional Command|date=30 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830065614/http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=25226|archive-date=2010-08-30}}</ref> The Gardez command, also referred to in the AFPS story as the [[203rd Corps (Afghanistan)|203 Corps]], was to have an initial force of 200 soldiers. Kandahar's command was the first activated, followed by Gardez and Mazar-e-Sharif. The Herat command was seemingly activated on 28 September. The next year, the ANA's numbers grew to around 20,000 soldiers, most of which were trained by the United States Army. In the meantime, the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] started building new military camps for the fast-growing army.
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[[File:Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier with PSL rifle.JPG|thumb|An ANA soldier of the 201st Corps using a [[PSL (rifle)|PSL]] rifle]]
 
The ANA was plagued by poor cohesion, illiteracy, corruption and abuse. A quarter of ANA troops were reported to have deserted in 2009 with many troops hiding in the heat of battle rather than engaging the enemy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/12/09/US-trainers-bemoan-Afghan-corruption/UPI-51821260383357/ |title=US trainers bemoan Afghan corruption |publisher=UPI.com |date=9 December 2009 |access-date=9 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220033840/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/12/09/US-trainers-bemoan-Afghan-corruption/UPI-51821260383357/ |archive-date=20 December 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ipsnews.net/2009/11/politics-afghan-army-turnover-rate-threatens-us-war-plans/ |title=POLITICS: Afghan Army Turnover Rate Threatens US War Plans |date=24 November 2009 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171011103934/http://www.ipsnews.net/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 October 2017 |access-date=28 December 2009 }}</ref> It was reported that approximately 90% of ANA troops were illiterate and there were widespread instances of corruption with the ANA manpower consisting a high percentage of [[Ghost soldiers|ghost battalions]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=httphttps://www.msnbc.msnnbcnews.com/id/34290420wbna34290420 |title=US surge is big, Afghan army is crucial |agency=Associated Press |publisher=MSNBC |date=5 December 2009 |access-date=9 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212151323/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34290420/ |archive-date=12 December 2009 |url-status=deadlive }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/09/ap_afghan_army_illiteracy_091409/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721223757/http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/09/ap_afghan_army_illiteracy_091409/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 July 2012 |title=Illiteracy undermines Afghan army |work=Air Force Times |date=14 September 2009 |access-date=9 February 2010 }}</ref> Another significant problem for the ANA was a high level of [[drug abuse]] amongst its soldiers. The Special Investigator General for Afghan Reconstruction reported the number of ANA soldiers using drugs was "at least 50 percent" and might have been as high as 75 percent, according to some reports.<ref>"Drug problem adding to challenge in Afghanistan," Chicago Tribune, 31 January 2012.</ref>
 
Many officers held loyalties with particular political factions. The endemic corruption of those officers eroded the army's morale.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Tollast |first1=Robert |title=How Afghanistan's Army was pulled apart by corruption and backroom deals |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/2021/08/16/afghan-armys-collapse-was-years-in-the-making-say-experts/ |access-date=21 August 2021 |work=The National News}}</ref>
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At times ANA troops [[fragging|attacked]] their own troops and foreign troops of ISAF.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sara |first1=Sally |title=Afghan soldier shoots 3 diggers |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-09/soldiers-shot/3653744 |website=ABC News|date=8 November 2011 }}</ref> [[Fragging]] had worsened enough to the point where two decrees were issued by the Department of Defense in the summer of 2012 stating that all American personnel serving in Afghanistan were told to carry a magazine with their weapon at all times, and that when a group of American troops were present and on duty with ANA forces, one American serviceman had to stand apart on guard with a loaded weapon ready.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104051833/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48622484%23.UOZmE33LdRw|archive-date=4 January 2013|url-status=dead|title=MSN News|website=www.msn.com|access-date=17 April 2020}}</ref> In addition to fragging, a report by a US inspector general revealed 5,753 cases of "gross human rights abuses by Afghan forces", including "routine enslavement and rape of underage boys ([[Bacha bazi]]) by Afghan commanders".{{sfn|Jacobsen|2019|page=411}} The ineffectiveness of the ANA became most apparent during the [[2021 Taliban offensive]]; thousands of ANA troops surrendered to the Taliban en masse, with many cities falling to the Taliban unopposed.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=WILKINSON |first1=TRACY |last2=BULOS |first2=NABIH |title=U.S. troops' return to Afghanistan has ominous parallel to recent history in Iraq |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-08-13/u-s-troops-returning-to-afghanistan-for-rescue-operation |website=Los Angeles Times |date=13 August 2021 |quote=Government soldiers have surrendered en masse, bequeathing the militants thousands of trucks, dozens of armored vehicles, antiaircraft guns, artillery and mortars, seven helicopters (seven others were destroyed) and a number of ScanEagle drones. |access-date=16 August 2021 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816070406/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-08-13/u-s-troops-returning-to-afghanistan-for-rescue-operation |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
President [[Ashraf Ghani]] iswas also accused of always replacing officers with someonespeople who are loyal tosupported his ideas, leading to decline ofdeclining morale among Afghan soldiers and officers.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Jonathan Schroden |title=Who Is to Blame for the Collapse of Afghanistan's Security Forces? |url=https://warontherocks.com/2022/05/who-is-to-blame-for-the-collapse-of-afghanistans-security-forces/ |website=War on the Rocks |access-date=7 June 2024 |date=24 May 2022}}</ref>
 
==== Structure 2002–2021 ====
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* '''[[201st Corps (Afghanistan)|201st Corps]]''' ([[Kabul]]) – 1st Brigade was based at the [[Arg (Kabul)|Presidential Palace]]. 3rd Brigade, at Pol-e-Chakri, was to be a mechanised formation including M-113s<ref>DefendAmerica.mil, [http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/apr2005/a042805la2.html Afghan Army gets armored personnel carriers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216023829/http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/apr2005/a042805la2.html |date=2008-12-16 }}, 25 April 2005</ref> and Soviet-built main battle tanks (T-62s).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://austinbay.net/blog/?p=400 |title=Bagram-Kabul-Bagram |access-date=2008-03-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019204847/http://austinbay.net/blog/?p=400 |archive-date=2006-10-19 }}. Austin Bay Blog. 21 June 2005</ref> In early 2008 LongWarJournal.org placed most of the 3rd Brigade at [[Jalalabad]], 2nd Brigade at Pol-e-Charkhi, and only a single kandak of 1st Brigade at the Presidential Palace.<ref>{{Cite web|author=C.J. Radin|title=Afghan National Security Forces Order of Battle (2008.01.06)|url=https://longwarjournal.org/multimedia/ANSF_OOBpage4_-_ANA_(2008.01.06_cjr).pdf|website=Long War Journal|access-date=2022-02-13}}</ref> The corps area of responsibility included Eastern Afghanistan, including Kabul, Logar, Kapisa, Konar, and Laghman provinces. This included Kabul as well as vital routes running north and south, and valleys leading from the Pakistani border into Afghanistan.
* '''[[203rd Corps (Afghanistan)|203rd Corps]]''' ([[Gardez]]) The original Gardez Regional Command was established on 23 September 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|title=News Archive|url=https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/|access-date=2022-12-24|website=U.S. Department of Defense|language=en-US}}</ref> As of 2009, First Brigade, [[Khost]], Second Brigade, Forward Operating Base Rushmore, Sharana, [[Paktika Province]], Third Brigade, [[Ghazni]]. On 19 Oct 2006, as part of [[Operation Mountain Fury]], two ETTs ([[Embedded Training Teams]]) mentored and advised a [[122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30)|D30]] artillery section from Fourth Kandak, Second Brigade, 203rd Corps, to conduct the first artillery missions during combat operations with harassment and indirect fires.<ref>(First to Fire, "FA Journal", Jan/Feb 2007)</ref> Three days later, they successfully conducted counterfire (with assistance from a US Q-36 radar) that resulted in a reported ten enemy casualties.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} The corps is supported by the Gardez Regional Support Squadron of the AAF, equipped with 8 helicopters: 4 transport to support the corps' commando kandak, two attack, and two medical transport.<ref name="longwarjournalhelo">{{Cite web|url=https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/02/afghan_national_army.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100912090312/http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/02/afghan_national_army.php|url-status=dead|title=Afghan National Army Air Corps: February 2009 Update – FDD's Long War Journal|date=20 February 2009|archive-date=12 September 2010|website=www.longwarjournal.org}}</ref>
* '''[[205th Corps (Afghanistan)|205th Corps]]''' ([[Kandahar]]) – oversaw the provinces of [[Kandahar Province|Kandahar]], [[Zabul Province|Zabul]], and 4th Brigade [[Urozgan Province|Urozgan]] under [[Brigadier General Zafar Khan]]'s control.<ref name="Status Report from the Afghan South">Northshorejournal.org, [http://northshorejournal.org/status-report-from-the-afghan-south Status Report from the Afghan South] {{Webarchiveusurped|url1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090211001343/http://northshorejournal.org/status-report-from-the-afghan-south |date=2009-02-11Status Report from the Afghan South]}}, December 2008</ref> It consisted of four brigades, a commando kandak and three garrisons. The corps had integrated artillery and airlift capacity, supplied by a growing Kandahar Wing of the Afghan Air Force.<ref>Phoenix Legacy Vol 1 Issue 2, [[Task Force Phoenix]], 31 January 2009</ref>
* '''[[207th Corps (Afghanistan)|207th Corps]]''' ([[Herat]]) – 1st Brigade at Herat, 2nd Brigade at [[Farah, Afghanistan|Farah]], and elements at [[Shindand Air Base|Shindand]] (including commandos).<ref>Anthony Cordesman, 'Winning in Afghanistan: Afghan Force Development,' [[Center for Strategic and International Studies]], 14 December 2006</ref> The corps was supported by the Herat Regional Support Squadron of the AAF, equipped with eight helicopters: four transport to support the corps' commando kandak, two attack, and two medical transport aircraft.<ref name="longwarjournalhelo" />
* '''[[209th Corps (Afghanistan)|209th Corps]]''' ([[Mazar-i-Sharif]]) – Worked closely with the German-led [[Regional Command North]], and had 1st Brigade at Mazar-i-Sharif and, it appears, a Second Brigade forming at [[Kunduz]]. An [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] solicitation for Kunduz headquarters facilities for the Second Brigade was issued in March 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|title=FBO.gov has moved|url=https://fbohome.sam.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=458c63fbfcbd7153893336cf7d4cac9d&tab=core&_cview=1&cck=1&au=&ck=|access-date=2022-12-24|website=fbohome.sam.gov}}</ref> The corps was supported by the Mazar-i-Sharif Regional Support Squadron of the AAF, equipped with eight helicopters: four transport to support the Corps' commando kandak, two attack, and two medical transport helicopters.<ref name="longwarjournalhelo" /> In October 2015, as a response to the fall of [[Kunduz]], reports came that a new division would be formed in the area.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marty |first=Franz J. |date=10 February 2016 |title= Isolated Outposts: Badakhshan sitrep |journal= Jane's Defence Weekly |volume=53 |issue=6 |issn=0265-3818 }}</ref>
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|- style="text-align:center;"
| rowspan=2| '''{{army|Afghanistan}}'''
| colspan=2| [[File:Islm-Emir-Afgn-Army-Marshal(Field Marshal).svgpng|50px|Marshal]]
| colspan=2| [[File:Islm-Emir-Afgn-Army-Setar Jenral(General).svgpng|50px|General]]
| colspan=2| [[File:Islm-Emir-Afgn-Army-Dagar Jenral(LtGen).svgpng|50px|Lieutenant General]]
| colspan=2| [[File:Islm-Emir-Afgn-Army-Turan Jenral(MGen).svgpng|50px|Major General]]
| colspan=2| [[File:Islm-Emir-Afgn-Army-Brid Jenral(BGen).svgpng|50px|Brigadier General]]
| colspan=2| [[File:Afgn-Army-Dagarwal(Colonel).svg|50px|Colonel]]
| colspan=2| [[File:Afgn-Army-Dagarman(LtCol).svg|50px|Lieutenant Colonel]]
| colspan=2| [[File:Afgn-Army-Jagran(Major).svg|50px|Major]]
| colspan=21| [[File:Afgn-Army-Jag TuranJag_Turan(SrCapt).svg|50px|Captain]]
| colspan=21| [[File:Afgn-Army-Turan(Capt).svg|50px|Junior Captain]]
| colspan=2| [[File:Afgn-Army-Lomri Baridman(1stLt).svg|50px|First Lieutenant]]
| colspan=2| [[File:Afgn-Army-Dvahomi Baridman(2ndLt).svg|50px|Second Lieutenant]]
| colspan=122| [[File:Afgn-Army-Dreyom Baridman(3rdLt).svg|50px|Junior Second Lieutenant]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| colspan=2| {{lang|ps|مارشال}}<br />{{lang|ps-Latn|Marshal}}<br />{{lang|en|Marshal}}
Line 403 ⟶ 405:
| colspan=2| {{lang|ps|ډگرمن}}<br />{{lang|ps-Latn|Dagarman}}<br />{{lang|en|Lieutenant Colonel}}
| colspan=2| {{lang|ps|جگرن}}<br />{{lang|ps-Latn|Jagran}}<br />{{lang|en|Major}}
| colspan=21| {{lang|ps|جگتورن}}<br />{{lang|ps-Latn|Jag turan}}<br />{{lang|en|Captain}}
| colspan=21| {{lang|ps|تورن}}<br />{{lang|ps-Latn|Turan}}<br />{{lang|en|Junior Captain}}
| colspan=2| {{lang|ps|لمړی بريدمن}}<br />{{lang|ps-Latn|Lomri baridman}}<br />{{lang|en|First Lieutenant}}
| colspan=2| {{lang|ps|دوهم بریدمن}}<br />{{lang|ps-Latn|Dvahomi baridman}}<br />{{lang|en|Second Lieutenant}}
| colspan=122| {{lang|ps|دریم بریدمن}}<br />{{lang|ps-Latn|Dreyom baridman}}<br />{{lang|en|Third Lieutenant}}
{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armed Forces/OF/Blank}}
|}
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{{Main|List of equipment of the Afghan Armed Forces}}
[[File:An Afghan National Army vehicle leads a security patrol.jpg|thumb|[[Humvee]]s of the ANA]]
The Afghan Army was equipped with the Soviet [[AK-47]] as its main service rifle from the 1970s, with the [[Afghan Commando Forces|444th Commando Battalion]] being the only unit with access to the rifle in 1968. As a [[major non-NATO ally]] of the United States, Afghanistan continued to receive billions of dollars in military assistance and the American [[M16 rifle]] joined the AK-47 as the service rifle. In addition, various U.S. rifles, bulletproof vests, night vision goggles, trucks and [[MRAP|Mine Resistant Ambush-Protected]] vehicles entered service. The ANA previously had a contract with [[International Trucks]] that would provide a fleet of 2,781 trucks which could be used for transporting personnel, water, petroleum and as a recovery vehicle.
 
Besides NATO, Afghanistan had increasingly turned to its regional allies, India and Russia for military aid and supplies. Both countries supported the [[Northern Alliance]], with funding, training, supplies and medical treatment of wounded fighters, against the Taliban for years prior to the US-led intervention in 2001.
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* {{Cite journal|last=Jalali|first=Ali A.|title=Rebuilding Afghanistan's National Army|journal=[[Parameters (journal)|Parameters]]|publisher=U.S. Army|volume=32|issue=3|date=2002|pages=}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Jalali|first=Ali A.|title=Afghanistan: The Anatomy of an Ongoing Conflict|url=http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/Articles/01spring/jalali.htm|journal=[[Parameters (journal)|Parameters]]|publisher=U.S. Army|issue=Spring 2001|date=2001|pages=85–98|access-date=7 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161210224452/http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/Articles/01spring/jalali.htm|archive-date=10 December 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
* {{Cite web|author=Janes|url=http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/misc/sws_scud010426.shtml |title=SS-1 'Scud' (R-11/8K11, R-11FM (SS-N-1B) and R-17/8K14) |access-date=2008-02-12 |date=2001-04-26 |publisher=[[Jane's Information Group]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215141138/http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/misc/sws_scud010426.shtml |archive-date=2007-12-15 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{Cite book|last1=Kelly|first1=Terrence K.|last2=Bensahel |last3=Oliker |first3=Olga|title=Security Force Assistance in Afghanistan: Identifying Lessons for Future Efforts|publisher=[[RAND Corporation]]|date=2011}}
* {{Cite web|last=Lieven |first=Anatol |title= Opinion: Why Afghan Forces So Quickly Laid Down Their Arms |website= [[Politico]] |url= https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/08/16/afghanistan-history-taliban-collapse-504977 |date= 16 August 2021}}
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* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cjVuDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT282|title=Security Sector Reform in Conflict-Affected Countries: The Evolution of a Model|last=Sedra|first=Mark|date=2016-11-03|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-39080-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Tomsen |first=Peter |title=The Wars of Afghanistan|publisher=Public Affairs|year=2011}}
* {{cite reportweb|author=United States. Department of Defense|title=Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan |date=November 2010|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2010/afghanistan-security-stability_201011.pdf|oclc=769299266 |access-date=31 March 2024}}
* {{Cite book|title=War in Afghanistan|last=Urban |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Urban| year=1988 |publisher=Macmillan Press |location=Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire |isbn=978-0-333-43263-1 |pages=12–14}}
* {{Cite book |last=Zaloga |first=Steven |author-link=Steven Zaloga |others=Illustrated by Jim Laurier and Lee Ray |title=Scud Ballistic Missile Launch Systems 1955–2005 |year=2006 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=1-84176-947-9}}
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* Lieutenant Colonel Gavin Keating, [https://www.army.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1846/f/aaj_2011_3.pdf 'Living in the Twilight Zone: Advising the Afghan National Army at the Corps Level'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805055118/https://www.army.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1846/f/aaj_2011_3.pdf |date=2019-08-05 }}, Australian Army Journal, Vol. VIII, No. 3, Summer 2011.
* Maloney, Sean M. (2005), ''Enduring the Freedom: A Rogue Historian in Afghanistan'', Washington, DC: Potomac Books, {{ISBN|1-57488-953-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Nikitenko |first=E.G. |title=Афганистан: От войны 80-х до прогноза новых войн |date=2004 |publisher=[[Астрель]] |isbn=5-271-07363-7 |edition={{nowrap|10000 экз}} |location=[[Балашиха]] |page=130 |url=http://militera.lib.ru/research/nikitenko_eg01/index.html |chapter= |chapter-url= |agencyvia=под ред. Захаровой Л.}} Никитенко Е. Г.
* Edward A Olsen, Stephen Jurika, ''The Armed Forces In Contemporary Asian Societies,'' [[Taylor and Francis]], 2020.
* {{Cite journal|author=Robinson, Colin D.|title=What explains the failure of U.S. army reconstruction in Afghanistan? |journal=Defence and Security Analysis |year=2018 | volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=249–266 |doi=10.1080/14751798.2018.1500756 |s2cid=158846498 }}
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