| Unit Name: | 205th Corps |
| Start Date: | 19 September 2004 [1] |
| End Date: | August 2021[2] |
| Country: | Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
| Branch: | Afghan National Army |
| Type: | Corps |
| Garrison: | Camp Shirzai, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan[3] |
| Garrison Label: | Headquarters |
| Nickname: | Atal (Hero) |
| Battles: | War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) |
| Commander1: | General Shafiqullah Rasulzai |
| Commander1 Label: | Last commander |
| Notable Commanders: | Gul Aqa Nahib Rahmatullah Raufi |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Corps Flag |
The 205th 'Atul' (Hero) Corps was a corps-level formation of the Afghan National Army.[4] Its headquarters were located in Kandahar and it was responsible for the south of the country (Kandahar, Zabul, Oruzgan, Helmand and Nimruz provinces), partnered with the ISAF's Regional Command South.[5]
The Corps consisted of four brigades, a commando battalion and three garrisons.[6] The Corps had integrated artillery and air lift capacity.
General Shafiqullah Rasulzai was appointed as the commander of the Corps in late November/December 2020. He was also the last commander of the Corps.[7] In August 2021, the Corps was destroyed during the Taliban offensive and in Battle of Kandahar.[2]
Previous 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.[8] The 2nd Army Corps additionally had their own Afghan Spetsnaz battalion, known as the 212th Special Reconnaissance Battalion, in 1980.[9]
The establishment of the corps started when the first commander, Gul Aqa Nahib, and some of his staff were appointed on 1 September 2004.[10] The corps was officially established in Kandahar on 19 September 2004.
Since August 2008, the Corps moved over 90,000 tonnes of supplies using Mi-17 helicopters of the Afghan Air Force. Three of the 205th Corps' four infantry brigades were assessed as capable of conducting independent operations with minimal support from their combat advisors. "One of the brigades recently planned, executed and sustained themselves during a seven-day operation where they drove deep into what is called an enemy sanctuary or enemy safe haven to destroy identified enemy forces," a U.S. advisor said in December 2008. "They were successful leading the operation, with less than 30 mentors and 20 other coalition soldiers, in addition to their 300 ANA ground force," he said. "That was a great example of ANA’s capability to lead and conduct their own operations."[11]
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.[12]
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.
In August 2021, the corps was destroyed during the Taliban offensive and in Battle of Kandahar.[2] Since then, the corps have been reportedly reactivated and reformed into the 205th Al Badr Corps as part of the Taliban’s Islamic National Army.[13]
Each brigade had three infantry battalions, a combat support battalion, some with D-30 howitzers, and a combat service support battalion.