10/6/2021- 4:41 p.m.
CIA airlifted thousands of Afghan commandos accused of war crimes out of the country during withdrawal (Intercept Report)
Around 7,000 commandos belonging to the Afghan army’s shadowy Zero units were airlifted out of the country by the CIA, even though the agency was aware of accusations of deadly night raids and war crimes.
The units are thought to have killed an unknown number of non-combatants across the country over the years. The Intercept documented 10 raids by one such unit, known as 01, conducted in Wardak province that killed at least 51 civilians, including children.
An unidentified former senior US intelligence official told The Intercept that most of the commandos were flown to Qatar, where CIA officers helped get them sent to the US.
