The 207th 'Zafar' (Victory) Corps was a

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

of the Afghan National Army. It was headquartered at Camp Zafar,

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safē ...

, in

Herat Province Herat ( Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city a ...

in the west of Afghanistan. It included 1st Brigade at Herat, 2nd Brigade at Farah, and elements at Shindand (including commandos). The corps was supported by the Herat Regional Support Squadron of the Afghan Air Force, equipped with eight helicopters: four transport to support the corps' commando kandak (battalion), two attack, and two medical transport aircraft. It was reported that the 3rd Brigade, 207th Corps would be established in Chesma-e-Dozakh, Badghis Province, where as of October 2011 barracks were under construction. During the Taliban offensive in 2021, the Corps was charged with the defence of

Herat province Herat ( Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city a ...

. On 13 August 2021, the Corps along with its commander, Khyal Nabi Ahmadzai, surrendered to the Taliban.

History

Previous Afghan forces in the region included the 17th Division at Herat. In May 1957 in Herat, in the garrison of the 17th Infantry Division (commander – Lieutenant General Muhammad Khan, from 1963 to 1973 – Army General, and Minister of National Defence), the first course in Afghanistan began operating for the study of Soviet armored vehicles – T-34 tanks and BTR-40 and BTR-152 armoured personnel carriers. After a few months, the first graduates of the Herat tank courses formed the backbone of the command personnel and crews of the

4th Armoured Brigade (Afghanistan) 4th Armoured Brigade may refer to: *4th Armoured Brigade (Australia) *4th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom), 1939–1945 *4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade *4th Canadian Armoured Brigade The 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade was an armoured brigade ...

at Pul-e-Charkhi. On March 15, 1979, insurgents gathered around mosques, marched on Herat, where they were joined by many townsmen in attacking government buildings, and symbols of communism.Dorronsoro, p.98 The 17th Division was detailed by the regime to put down the resulting

uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

, but this proved a mistake, as there were few Khalqis in the division and instead it

mutinied Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among members ...

and joined the uprising. The mutiny was led by Senior Captain

Ismael Khan Mohammad Ismail Khan (Dari/Pashto: محمد اسماعیل خان) (born 1946) is an Afghan former politician who served as Minister of Energy and Water from 2005 to 2013 and before that served as the governor of Herat Province. Originally a cap ...

, an officer in the divisional anti-aircraft battalion, and Captain Alladin, a signals officer. A small group of soldiers, officials and Khalq activists withdrew into the city's Blue Mosque. The insurgents held Herat for about a week, during which the city underwent a period of anarchy. The 4th Corps was created in the 1980s during the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Sovie ...

and by 1988 included the 17th Division at Herat and the 21st Division around Farah. According to

Mark Urban Mark Lee Urban (born 26 January 1961) is a British journalist, historian, and broadcaster, and is currently the Diplomatic Editor and occasional presenter for BBC Two's ''Newsnight''. His older brother is the film-maker Stuart Urban. Educati ...

, as of 1 January 1985 the 17th Division included the 28th Brigade at Herat, the 33rd Brigade at Qala-Yi-Naw, Badghis Province, and the 2nd Regiment at Chakhcharan, Ghowr Province. Two other brigades had been disbanded after the Herat revolt in 1979. On 13 August 2003, President Karzai removed Governor

Ismail Khan Mohammad Ismail Khan (Dari/Pashto: محمد اسماعیل خان) (born 1946) is an Afghan former politician who served as Minister of Energy and Water from 2005 to 2013 and before that served as the governor of Herat Province. Originally a cap ...

from his command of the 4th Corps. In the Fall of 2003 Karzai appointed a new head of the 4th Corps, but initially he was not able to take his post in Herat because it came at the expense of Ismail Khan. In March 2004, fighting between two local militias took place in the western Afghan city of

. It was reported that

Mirwais Sadiq Mirwais Sadiq (1973 – March 21, 2004) was the Civil Aviation Minister of Afghanistan and the son of the Ismail Khan, who was then the governor of Herat Province. He died during an exchange of fire in the city of Herat between supporters of Zahir ...

(son of warlord Ismail Khan) was assassinated in unclear circumstances. A larger conflict ensued between troops of Ismail Khan and Abdul Zahir Nayebzada, a senior local military commander blamed for the death of Sadiq, that resulted in the death of up to 100 people. Nayebzada commanded the 17th Herat Division of the Defence Ministry's 4th Corps. In response to the fighting, about 1,500 newly trained ANA soldiers from the

Central Corps , image = , image_size = , alt = , caption = , start_date = October 2021 , end_date = , disbanded = , country = Afghanistan , allegiance = Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan , branch = Afghan Army , type = Corps , role = , size = , ...

were sent from Kabul to Herat in order to bring the situation under control. An article dated 10 April 2005 by The Coalition Press Information Center (Public Affairs) reports that "the remaining members of the Afghan.. 4th Corps handed over official authority for the protection of Herat, Badghis, Farah and Ghor provinces to the 207th Regional Corps of the Afghan National Army". Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan 2005, ‘ANA Accepts Responsibility for Western Provinces’, Coalition Press Information Center (Public Affairs), 10 April, Afghan Online Press website – Attachment 22.

207th Corps commanders

Source
Afghan-bios.info
*Lt. Gen. Walizadah (200502), *Maj. Gen. Jalandar Shah Behnam (2007, 20080526), *Maj. Gen. Fazal Ahmad Sayar (2009-2012) killed in a helicopter crash, in Adraskan District (Herat). *Maj. Gen. Jalandar Shah Behnam (20090000 - 20100900 ) *Maj. Gen. Dauranshah Shahzada (201010 - 20110000 ) *Maj. Gen. Taj Mohammad Jahid (20121004 - ) *Maj. Gen. Zaman Waziree *Maj. Gen. Khyal Nabi Ahmadzai

References

{{Afghan National Security Forces Corps of Afghanistan Military units and formations established in the 2000s

History

207th Corps commanders

See also

References