What were the Afghan “Zero Units” that the National Guard shooting suspect reportedly worked for?
An image of an Afghan military ID badge circulating widely online Thursday showing the suspect in the shooting of National Guard members indicates he was assigned to the “Kandahar Strike Force” or “03,” one of several “zero units” that worked closely with the United States and other foreign forces during the war in Afghanistan.
The insignia also bears the words “Firebase Gecko,” which was the name of a base used by the CIA and special forces in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, inside what was previously the residence of the Taliban’s founding leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
CBS News has not independently verified the authenticity of the ID badge shown in the photos, but CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the suspect had previously worked “with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.”
The “Zero Units” were comprised exclusively of Afghan nationals and operated under the National Directorate of Security, or NDS, the intelligence agency created with CIA support for the previous U.S.-backed Afghan government.
A former high-ranking Afghan general in the previous administration told CBS News on Thursday that “Unit 03, also known as the Kandahar Strike Force (KSF), reported to the NDS Special Forces Directorate.
The units were known in Afghanistan for their secrecy and alleged brutality, and their members were involved in numerous extrajudicial killings of civilians, including during nighttime raids.
They were considered by the United States and its international partners to be one of the most reliable national forces in Afghanistan.
There was no immediate reaction from Afghanistan’s current Taliban government, and officials in Kabul did not respond to CBS News’ requests for comment on the arrest in Washington.
As a member of Unit Zero, the suspect would have been virtually guaranteed asylum in the United States, as members of these elite units were high on the Taliban’s retaliation list after the group regained control of the country. Many members of these units played key roles during the evacuation of Kabul in August 2021, in exchange for guaranteed space on a flight for themselves and their families out of Afghanistan.
