Afghan paramilitaryforces nominally belong to the Afghan National Directorate of Security(NDS), the country’s primary intelligence agency. However, these forces do not fall under the ordinary chain of command within the NDS, nor under normal Afghan or US military chains of command.They largely have beenrecruited, trained, equipped,and overseen by the CIA. They often have US special forces personnel deployed alongside them during kill-or-capture operations; these US forces, primarily Army Rangers,have been seconded to the CIA.Afghanparamilitary strike forces generally carry out operations with USlogistical support andare dependent on US intelligence and surveillance for targeting.

Forces conducted night raids, in which they dragged people out of their homes without prior warning. Among the allegations are claims they targeted medical staff who treated militants in contested or Taliban-controlled areas, and summarily executed or „forcibly disappeared“ people in custody.

Moreover, the troops „seem to have unlawfully targeted civilians because of mistaken identity, poor intelligence, or political rivalries in the locality“.