055 Brigade

The 055 Brigade is an elite guerrilla organization sponsored and trained by Al Qaeda that was integrated into the Taliban army between 1997 and 2001. It comprised of mostly foreign guerilla fighters from the Middle-East, Central Asia and South-East Asia whom had some form of combat experience, either during the Soviet invasion during the 1980s or elsewhere. A few hundred were deployed to overseas to assist with campaigns in the Southern Philippines and Chechnya.

They were equipped with weapons left behind by the Soviets, as well as those provided by the Sudanese and Taliban governments. The Brigade was also the beneficiary of Al Qaeda’s worldwide network of procurement officers who obtained sophisticated equipment including satellite phones, night-vision goggles, sniping rifles and even an airplane.

Reports from Time indicate that members of the 055 Brigade were often deployed in smaller groups to help reinforce regular Afghan members. This was often achieved via threats or intimidation designed to enforce discipline and a commitment to the mujahedin philosophy.

Estimates on the strength of the 055 Brigade vary, however it is generally believed that at its peak it comprised of somewhere between 1000 and 2000 personnel. The 055 Brigade suffered heavy losses during the Afghani war in late 2001 and many were captured by the United States. Those that survived retreated with Osama bin Laden to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area where they regrouped with the intention of waging a protracted campaign.

References

[1] Secrets of Brigade 055