An ID badge circulating online that reportedly links a suspect in the National Guard shootings to the “Kandahar Strike Force” or “03” unit has drawn renewed attention to so-called “Zero Units” used during the war in Afghanistan. The badge also bears the name “Firebase Gecko,” a Kandahar base associated with CIA and special operations activity that was located in the former compound of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar. CBS News has not independently verified the badge’s authenticity.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has said the suspect previously worked “with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.” The Zero Units were composed exclusively of Afghan nationals and operated under the National Directorate of Security (NDS), the Afghan intelligence service that was created and supported by the CIA for the U.S.-backed government.
A former senior Afghan general described the 03 unit, also called the Kandahar Strike Force (KSF), as part of the NDS special forces directorate. He said these units were among the most active and professional, trained and equipped by the CIA, with operations conducted under CIA direction. Within Afghanistan the Zero Units were notorious for secrecy and accused of brutality; members have been implicated in numerous extrajudicial killings, especially during night raids.
Despite those allegations, U.S. and allied officials regarded Zero Units as trusted domestic partners. There was no immediate comment from Afghanistan’s current Taliban government, and Kabul officials did not respond to CBS News about the Washington arrest. After the Taliban returned to power, members of these units became high-priority targets for retaliation, and many were evacuated in August 2021 — often securing asylum in the United States along with family members because of their work with U.S. forces.