- Directorate of Covert Operations (Unofficial Name)
DAC is generally considered to be one of the most secretive Special Operations Force of Pakistan's security apparatus. DAC is responsible for paramilitary and covert operations as well as special activities. They are also tasked to collect INTEL in extremely hostile environment, battlefields and act as a special warfare unit of the ISI.
These operatives often operate in remote locations behind enemy lines to carry out Deep Penetration, Covert Direct Action (including raids and sabotage), Counter-Intelligence, Guerrilla/Unconventional Warfare, Counter-Terrorism, and Hostage Rescue missions, in addition to being able to conduct espionage via HUMINT assets.
- Engagements
- 1800–1837 (Afghan-Sikh Wars)
- 1838–48 (First Afghan War to Second Sikh War)
- 1849–58 (Second Sikh War to Sepoy Revolt)
- 1859–1878 (Sepoy Revolt to Second Afghan War)
- 1878–1898 (Second Afghan War to Frontier Rebellion)
- 1898–1914 (Frontier Revolt to Great War)
- 1914–1918 (First World War)
- 1919–39 (between the wars)
- 1940–1947 (Second World War to independence)
- 1947-1948(War is Kashmir)
- 1964-1965(Indo Pak War)
- 1971(Indo Pak War)
- 1980-1987(Soviet War In Afghanistan, Siachen conflict)
- 1998-1999(Kargil War)
- 2000-2015(Indo Pak Border Skirmishes and War on terror)
- 1948-2015(LOC border skirmishes)
- Several undisclosed Operation’s.
Originally a Pashtun militia, fought several battles in last 215 years starting from Sikhs then British and finally was merged in OCT 1947 with PA, were tasked to liberate Kashmir and in spite of no area knowledge and no good weaponry succeeded in liberating huge part of Kashmir. After formation of ISI in 1948 and problems caused by FIQAR of IPI, a group of die hard operatives from militia and Gilgit scouts were taken and trained, they later formed a new directorate of the ISI, their main task was to counter influence of FIQAR of IPI and if he starts an insurgency with the help of Afghans, they were to cause a denial of battlefield dominance until the main force of Pakistan Army arrived. In the start they were mostly formed out of Pashtun Guerilla fighters who fought the Sikhs and the British from father to son that’s why the Covert Action Division traces its history back to 1800 as well as retains covert war-fighting knowledge going back by more than 200 years. Until the formation of the SS Group, it was a dedicated Special Operations unit, in the 1960 they were known to the West only in name but the situation changed in 1980 when DAC received training from the CIA, later assisted the Afghan Mujahideen in many battles against the Soviet Army. Until November 1954 the unit was mostly aimed to counter insurgency in Waziristan but after that its role was slowly expanded as a new unit was raised in East Pakistan. The working mechanism of the DAC remains classified as they belong to a creed of operatives which operate totally under a thick and dark blanket of secrecy and too little of their work is ever made public.
CAD operatives are trained in home developed tactics developed during its journey spanning 215 years. They are also trained in to very high levels of proficiency in the use and tactical employment of an unusually wide degree of modern weaponry, IED’s and IW’s IITM, explosive devices and more than 30 most widely used firearms (foreign and domestic), hand to hand combat, high performance/tactical driving (on and off road), apprehension avoidance (including picking handcuffs and escaping from confinement), improvised explosive devices, cyberwarfare, covert channels, parachuting, SCUBA diving, proficiency in foreign multiple languages, surreptitious entry operations (picking or otherwise bypassing locks), vehicle hot-wiring, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE), extreme survival and wilderness training, combat EMS medical training, tactical communications, and tracking. After the fall of Soviet Union they got some knowledge of the
Soviet Spetsnaz.
Today it consists of personal from SSG, SSW, and SSGN on deputation, Police force personal from all over the country and its own hand picked and highly trained personal.
@MastanKhan @Horus @Oscar @Zarvan @Pomegranate @Akheilos @RescueRanger @hassan1 @Manticore @Devil Soul @levina @syedali73 @Irfan Baloch
All material in Post is gathered through different sources may not be fully trust able but still provides,some outlook into CAD.
History section also includes predecessor Unit History