The Afghan National Army Special Operations Corps introduced Afghanistan and the world to its newest formation, the Cobra Strike Kandak, at the inaugural classes live fire exercise at Pol-e Charki, Afghanistan, April 30, 2018. The graduating class of 650 Commando-qualified soldiers are now the 6th Cobra Strike Kandak, soon to be taking part in offensive operations against the Taliban.

Commandos training to become Afghanistan's newest Special Operations unit, the 6th Cobra Strike Kandak, prepare for their final test, a live fire exercise near Kabul, Afghanistan, April 29, 2018. The 6th CSK is the first of 7 CSKs and provides a new level of mobility and firepower for the Commandos (Picture source: Martha Schaeffer, NATO Special Operations Command - Afghanistan)

Part of the Afghan 2020 Roadmap, ANASOC will establish six additional Cobra Strike Kandaks. The additional mobile capability allows ANASOC to use the CSKs nation-wide, in concert with existing Commando forces, and provides an unprecedented level of mobility and firepower for the Commando force. The CSKs will operate in Mobile Strike Force Vehicles. Heavily armored and mine-resistant, the MSFVs provide additional protection and lethality for Commandos, and were used to eliminate five IS-K fighters in the Jan. 2018 failed attack on the Marshall Fahim Academy in Kabul.

To become part of the 6th CSK, soldiers were selected from a conventional Afghan National Army Mobile Strike Kandak and had to pass the 14-week Commando Qualification Course to earn a slot at the Cobra Strike Maneuver Course. The three-month long CSMC tested the Commandos’ mettle and mastery of combat maneuver skills. The live fire exercise was a visible culmination of the training and tasks required to become Afghanistan’s newest lethal weapon.

Beside this, the Commando Qualification Course (CDOQC) Class 24 graduated 980 new Commandos at the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command’s School of Excellence, Kabul, Afghanistan, May 9, 2018. This graduation marked the achievement of a significant force growth milestone as established in President Ashraf Ghani’s Afghan 2020 Roadmap.

Introduced in Aug. 2017, the Afghan 2020 Roadmap called for a doubling of the Commando force, an increase of nearly 12,000 special operators over four years. The addition of 4,000 Commandos in nine months illustrates the commitment of the Afghan National Army to support the long-term development of its elite ground force. NASOC Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Bismillah Waziri charged the graduating class with safeguarding Afghans and Afghanistan against anti-government factions. "This is a huge responsibility. You are the best Afghanistan has to offer against dark forces like the Taliban and IS-K,” Waziri stated. “Because of you, many sleep well at night knowing you are now their defenders."

Commando Qualification Course is a 14-week course designed to assess and train Afghan soldiers for assignment in one of the 10 Special Operations Kandaks. Approximately 20 percent of the graduating class attends job-specific specialty skill training before departing for their next assignment. The remainder of the class report directly to their new Kandaks.

Commandos provide the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces unparalleled success on the battlefield, and are the cornerstone of Afghan Special Security Forces growth over the next four years.

Afghanistan, Apr. 29, 2018. The 6th CSK is the first of 7 CSKs and provides a new level of mobility and firepower for the Commandos (Photo: Martha Schaeffer, NATO Special Operations Command – Afghanistan)