203rd Corps (Afghanistan)

The 203rd 'Tandar' (Thunder) Corps is a corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA), headquartered in Gardez. The corps commander is Brigadier General Harab Khanullah Shuja.[3]

203rd Corps
Founded23 September 2004
(16 years, 3 months)[1]
Country Afghanistan
Branch Afghan National Army
TypeCorps
HeadquartersGardez, Paktia Province, Afghanistan[2]
Nickname(s)Tandar (Thunder)[2]
EngagementsWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The original Gardez Regional Command was established on 23 September 2004.[1] As of 2009, the corps consisted of the First Brigade (Khost), Second Brigade (Forward Operating Base Rushmore, Sharana, Paktika Province), and Third Brigade (Ghazni). As of 30 November 2011, Brig. Gen. Zamaray Khan was listed by Jane's Defence Weekly as commander of the Second Brigade, 203rd Corps.[4]

On 19 Oct 2006, as part of Operation Mountain Fury, two Embedded Training Teams (ETTs) mentored and advised a D30 artillery section from Fourth Battalion, Second Brigade, 203rd Corps, as it conducted its first artillery missions during combat operations, harassing the enemy with indirect fires.[5] Three days later, the battalion successfully conducted counterfire (with assistance from a US Q-36 radar) that resulted in ten enemy casualties, the greatest number of casualties that ANA artillery fire had ever inflicted.

The corps is supported by the Gardez Regional Support Squadron of the Afghan Air Force, equipped with eight helicopters: four transport, to support the corps' commando battalion; two attack; and two medical transport.[6] In 2017, the 203rd Corps and 303rd Police Zone demonstrated a high level of cooperation not seen across Afghanistan according to Colonel Matthew J Van Wagenen, commander of Task Force Southeast.[7]

References
  1. Afghan National Army activates second regional command Archived 2010-08-30 at the Wayback Machine, September 23, 2004, AFPS
  2. https://www.longwarjournal.org/multimedia/ANSF%20OOBpage4-ANA.pdf
  3. "US forces apologize for Wardak civilian deaths". Pajhwok Afghan News. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  4. JDW 30 Nov 11, p.34
  5. (First to Fire, "FA Journal", Jan/Feb 2007)
  6. "Afghan National Army Air Corps: February 2009 Update | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. February 20, 2009. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011.
  7. Dennis, Christopher (July 13, 2017). "Task Force Southeast PART 2 of 5 -- Who we TAA, the 203rd Corps and 303rd Police Zone".
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