| 055 Brigade | |
|---|---|
| كتيبة ٥ ٥ | |
| Active | 1996–2001 |
| Country | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan |
| Allegiance | Osama bin-Laden |
| Branch | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Army |
| Type | Foreign volunteers Special forces Assault troops Protective security |
| Size | ~1,000–3,000 |
| Engagements | Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)
|
The055 Brigade was aguerrilla organization loyal toOsama bin Laden that was sponsored and trained byal-Qaeda, and was integrated into theTaliban between 1996 and 2001.[1]
The unit consisted mostly of foreign guerrilla fighters (Mujahideen) from theMiddle East,Central Asia,Southeast Asia,North Caucasus, and theBalkans who had some form of combat experience, either fightingthe Soviet invasion during the 1980s or elsewhere.[2]
They were equipped with weapons left behind by theSoviets, as well as those provided by theSudanese and Taliban governments. The Brigade was also the beneficiary of Al Qaeda's worldwide network of procurement officers who obtained sophisticated equipment includingsatellite phones,night vision goggles, and even airplanes. Reports fromTime magazine indicate that members of the 055 Brigade were often deployed in smaller groups to help reinforce regularAfghan members of the Taliban. This was often achieved via threats or intimidation designed to enforce discipline and a commitment to themujahedin philosophy.[2]
The 055 Brigade were highly trained, highly motivated and well-paid guerrilla fighters set up byOsama bin Laden shortly after he arrived inAfghanistan in 1996. When Bin Laden sought sanctuary in Afghanistan, otherAfghan Arabs joined him. The 055 Brigade was set up as a foreign legion to drive ahead with the vision, shared by Bin Laden and the Taliban hardline regime, of a global Islamist revolution.[3] About 100 members served as Bin Laden's personal security detail.[4]
Before theUnited States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, it had been based and trained atRish Khor camp outsideKabul. They had no heavy artillery or heavy weapons, and it was believed to be equipped with sophisticated western communications equipment and night vision goggles. Some military sources said they had a collection of small mobile units which has been used to back up Taliban fighters on the frontlines of thecivil war. The group was not organised along traditional army structures and borrowed brigade names from the former Afghan army.[3]
Estimates on the strength of the 055 Brigade vary, however, it is generally believed that at its peak it comprised somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 personnel. During the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, they had at least 500 men;[3] The 055 Brigade suffered heavy losses during the2001 war in Afghanistan and many were captured by the United States. Those that survived retreated withOsama bin Laden to the Afghanistan–Pakistan border area where they regrouped with the intention of waging a protracted campaign.
According toJoint Task Force Guantanamocounterterrorism analysts the brigade was a unit of foreign fighters in Afghanistan under the command of Osama bin Laden.[5] JTF-GTMO analysts said that, under bin Laden's command, the 055 Brigade was integrated into the Taliban's military.Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi was asserted to be in direct operational control.Mustafa Mohamed Fadhil was his second-in-command.
A Summary of Evidence memo prepared forGuantanamo captiveSaid Ibrahim Ramzi Al Zahrani's first annual Administrative Review Board, on 14 October 2005 stated, "The al Qaida Force, or 055 Brigade, is Osama bin Laden's primary formation supporting Taliban objectives. Information indicates that the ideology of those in the 055 Brigade includes willingness to give their lives for tactical objectives as declared by Osama bin Laden and the Taliban."[5]
According to the 2005 bookWarlords Rising: Confronting Violent Non-State Actors, the 055 Brigade was a mechanized unit.[6]
The 055 Brigade was founded by Bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1996. The force had close contacts with militant groupsfighting against Indian security forces in Kashmir and with Islamist organisations trying to foment a revolt inCentral Asia, particularly theIslamic Movement of Uzbekistan. There were rumours in the weeks before theSeptember 11 attacks thatJuma Namangani, had been appointed as one of the top commanders in the 055 brigade.[3]
Most members are volunteers from Chechnya, Pakistan, Bosnia, China and Uzbekistan, who are veterans of battles in their own home nations or the Soviet war in Afghanistan and primarily led by Egyptian and Saudi revolutionaries.[4]
Since at least 1998, the Brigade was used to back up Taliban attacks during theAfghan Civil War: One of their first reported action inside Afghanistan was in 1998 when 055 fighters were used in thebattle to capture Mazar-i Sharif. In July 1999 in they took part in the battle forBamiyan and they were also believed to be behind a string of civilian massacres of theShia population nearby inHazarajat, including one attack in early 2001, in which more than 200 people died. On 5 September 2000, 055 fighters were used as part of the 20,000-strong Taliban force which tookTaloqan. The loss of the city was one of the biggest setbacks to theNorthern Alliance in recent years, which was where their administrative headquarters was located.[3]
The 055 fighters were 3,000 soldiers who were believed to have sought sanctuary in Afghanistan. At least 1,000 more volunteers were believed to have arrived in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 Attacks, crossing over fromPakistan and Iran. Many were based atJalalabad,Khost,Kandahar andMazar-i Sharif.[3]
In the initial airstrikes during thecoalition invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, a garrison of 055 Brigade fighters near Mazar-i-Sharif was one of the first targets for US aircraft. TheUS Defense SecretaryDonald Rumsfeld described the troops as "the al-Qaida-dominated ground force". The units tended to be much better motivated than regular Taliban soldiers and regarded as better fighters than the Afghans. They were used to "give backbone" to the fight and prevent defections.[3] Some 055 Brigade members escaped with as many as several hundred al-Qaeda during theBattle of Tora Bora.[7]
According to theLong War Journal, the 055 Brigade had been reestablished as part of the Taliban'sLashkar al Zil or 'Shadow Army.'[8]
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