What were the Afghan "Zero Units" that sources say the National Guard shooting suspect worked for? | CBS News |

An image of an ID badge circulating widely online that shows the suspect in the shooting of the National Guard members says he was assigned to the "Kandahar Strike Force" or "03" unit, one of a number of so-called "Zero Units" that worked closely with U.S. and other foreign forces during the war in Afghanistan. A former senior Afghan military source confirmed to CBS News that the ID badge is authentic.

A U.S. official briefed on the shooting investigation and a former senior Afghan National Defense and Security Forces member told CBS News that the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had been part of a "Zero Unit," an Afghan intelligence unit and paramilitary force that worked with the CIA. The units were exclusively composed of Afghan nationals and operated under the umbrella of the National Directorate of Security, or NDS, the intelligence agency established with CIA backing for Afghanistan's previous, U.S.-backed government. They were considered by the U.S. and its international partners to be among the most trusted domestic forces in Afghanistan.

Those units are often labeled "death squads" by human rights groups. The units were known in Afghanistan for their secrecy and alleged brutality, and members were implicated in numerous extrajudicial killings of civilians, particularly during night raids.

The U.S. official briefed on the investigation confirmed the suspect had been disturbed by the casualties in this unit and, more recently, deeply troubled by the killing of his close friend overseas.

The image of the ID badge also carries the words "Firebase Gecko," which was the name of a base used by the CIA and special forces in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, inside what was previously the compound of the Taliban's founding leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.

Afghans who fought in secret CIA-trained force face legal uncertainty in the U.S. | NBC News - 29 Aug 2023 |

Fighters from the "Zero Units" got work permits when they escaped to the U.S. Those permits expire soon, and now some fighters worry their CIA pasts might be working against them.

About 10,000 to 12,000 members of the Afghan National Strike Unit, a clandestine force known as the "Zero Units," were evacuated from Afghanistan when the U.S. military withdrew from the country in August 2021.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Night Raids: Victims of CIA-Backed Afghan Death Squads Known as "Zero Units" Demand Accountability

We speak with journalist Lynzy Billing, whose investigation for ProPublica details how CIA-backed death squads, known as Zero Units, have yet to be held accountable for killing hundreds of civilians during the U.S. War in Afghanistan. The Afghan units, which were routinely accompanied by U.S. soldiers, became feared throughout rural Afghanistan for their brutal night raids, often descending upon villagers from helicopters and carrying out summary executions before disappearing.

Families of victims continue to demand answers, but since the operations were directed by the CIA rather than the military, there is almost no oversight or disclosure when things go wrong. "Many people I spoke to feel that these operations ... were counterproductive and actually had turned their families against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul and against the U.S.," says Billing.

Kill Or Capture Inside The CIA's Secret Afghan Army | The Canary |

In 2021, thousands of Afghans who'd worked for the occupation forces during the war were brought to the US. That's well known. But reports are now saying alleged shooter Rahmatullah Lakanwal worked with the CIA in Kandahar region, Afghanistan.

He may even be connected with the same CIA death squads I tracked in the country in 2020, not long before the occupation fell apart. You can see my documentary report.

Kill Or Capture Inside The CIA's Secret Afghan Army
video documentary by redfish

Six years since Barack Obama said the U.S. would leave Afghanistan, they're still there and the war is as bad as ever: with war crimes, civilian deaths and air strikes increasing, despite the recent peace talks.

Former British soldier Joe Glenton has been back to Afghanistan to see how the country has changed since he was there in 2006 and to investigate the shady, CIA-funded paramilitaries killing innocent Afghans with impunity.

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