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Afghan Army formations in the south of
Afghanistan, more specifically in
Kandahar, were the 2nd Army Corps established under the
Kingdom of Afghanistan and lasting until the collapse of the
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. The 2nd Army Corps additionally had their own Afghan
Spetsnaz battalion, known as the 212th Special Reconnaissance Battalion, in 1980. The establishment of the corps started when the first commander,
Gul Aqa Nahib, and some of his staff were appointed on 1 September 2004. The corps was officially established in Kandahar on 19 September 2004. The Corps' 3rd Brigade was heavily involved in fighting the
Taliban and
Al-Qaeda in Helmand province, alongside British troops deployed as part of
Operation Herrick. The Corps began formation with
Kalashnikov rifles and miscellaneous civilian vehicles, but under coalition tutelage was reequipped with Western equipment. The Corps also supported an ANA regional hospital located in Kandahar, adjacent to Kandahar Airfield, dedicated to the security forces. It was a $5 million medical facility that also serves a trauma center.
2021 Taliban offensive In August 2021, the corps was destroyed during the
Taliban offensive and in
Battle of Kandahar. ==Provisional order of battle==