Task Force 373

Task Force 373 is a secret joint military infiltration unit active in the War in Afghanistan.

The unit became prominent when the clandestine operations of the unit were brought into the public domain by the release of the Afghan War Diary (WP) on Wikileaks (WP) on 25 July 2010.

It has been claimed that the unit is stationed at Wikipedia:Camp Marmal, the German WP field base in Wikipedia:Mazar-e-Sharif.

The leaked information shows that Task Force 373 uses at least three bases in Afghanistan (WP), in Kabul, Kandahar and Khost. Although it works alongside special forces from Afghanistan and other coalition nations, it appears to be drawing its troops primarily from the U.S. Special Forces, among others the 7th Special Forces Group, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Navy Navy SEALs, & United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command Marines. It is loosely based on the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) task forces such as Task Force 121, Task Force 145, Task Force 20, Task Force 6-26, and Task Force 88.

Camp Marmal near Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. Note the internal lines of gabions to reduce and compartmentalize mortar effects

Operations

It has been reported that this unit's mission is to "deactivate" suspected senior Taliban, by either killing or capturing them. During certain missions prisoners have been taken, information contained in The War Logs (WP) includes at least 62 instances of detainee transfers where the source of the detainee is stated as being "TF 373".

In an article datelined 25 July 2010, the online guardian.co.uk news daily reported that "In many cases, the unit has set out to seize a target for internment, but in others it has simply killed them without attempting to capture. The logs reveal that TF 373 has also killed civilian men, women and children and even Afghan police officers who have strayed into its path." The newspaper report also stated that "Details of more than 2,000 senior figures from the Taliban and al-Qaida are held on a "kill or capture" list, known as Wikipedia:JPEL, the joint prioritised/zed effects list." Secrecy of operations is a major concern of TF 373 and often operations are not discussed even after the fact with coalition allies such as the International Security Assistance Force. Allegations of extrajudicial killing have raised questions about the legality of the operations.

The New York Times confirmed the existence of TF 373 and its work in connection with a kill or capture list but gave a lower number, "about 70," for the number of targets on the list.

Salon.com reported TF 373 were in 200 incidents listed in the War Diaries; assassinations were carried out without sufficient provisions to prevent the killing of civilians, and in one incident, seven children were killed along with the target, in another; seven Afghan National Police.

WikiLeaks reporting

News agencies reporting on the WikiLeaks newsflash made sure to attempt to cover for their preferred US administration leader or slam the other. The New York Times noted that Obama was commander-in-chief while the group was doing its work: "These missions, which have been stepped up under the Obama administration, claim notable successes, but have sometimes gone wrong, killing civilians and stoking Afghan resentment." Boston.com, via White House national security adviser Gen. Jim Jones, or vice versa, preferred to note a different part of the timeline: "he (the General) took pains to point out that the documents describe a period from January 2004 to December 2009, mostly during the administration of President George W. Bush. Jones noted that time period was before President Obama announced a new strategy."

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WP

Raymond Allen Davis incident

On February 20th a Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report has referred to Pakistan's ISI stating that top-secret CIA documents found in Davis's possession point to him and/or Task Force 373 providing al Qaeda terrorists with "nuclear fissile material" and "biological agents".

According to the report, the combat skills exhibited by Davis, along with documentation taken from him after his arrest, prove that he is a member of the US TF373 black operations unit.

External links

• Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It
• War Logs Cast Light on Dirty Side of Afghanistan Conflict
• Task Force 373, the secret killers