XI Corps (Pakistan)
| XI Corps | |
|---|---|
.gif) |
|
| Active | 1975 - Present |
| Country |
 Pakistan
|
| Allegiance |
 Pakistan Army
|
| Branch | Active Duty |
| Type | Army Corps |
| Role | Combined arms formation Tactical headquarters element |
| Size | 60,000+ approximately (though this may vary as units are rotated) |
| Part of | Western Military Command of Pakistan Army |
| HQ/Command Control Headquarter | Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province |
| Nickname(s) | XI Corps |
| Colors Identification | Red, White and Black |
| Engagements |
Siachen conflict Soviet war in Afghanistan Indo-Pakistani War of 1999 War in North-West Pakistan |
| Decorations | Military Decorations of Pakistan Military |
| Commanders | |
| Corps Commander | Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed Butt |
| Notable commanders |
Masood Aslam Fazle Haq Ali Jan Aurakzai |
| Insignia | |
| Flag of XI Corps |  |
The XI Corps is an active administrative corp of Pakistan Army. The XI Corps is the only one corps that is assigned in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan. It is currently stationed in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtaunkhuwa. The Corps was established and quickly raised in 1975 to support administrative military operational units in the NWFP and Northern Areas. The corps is internationally distinguished for its involvement in Soviet war in Afghanistan.
The start of the Afghan War brought the Corps to prominence. It was given three infantry divisions as well has been given the responsibility of covering the Khyber Pass, one of the two approaches by which the Soviets could attack into Pakistan (the other was the Bolan Pass, guarded by the XII Corps). For more than a decade it held the line against Soviet expansionism.
The end of the Cold War affected the Corp immensely. No longer facing a threat on its western flank, the army moved brigades and units away from the XIcorps, with its orientation being changed from a defending the Afghan border, to being a reserve force in Kashmir. The 1999 Kargil War saw the corps enter direct action for the first time and it fought mainly in the Gultari sector of Kashmir, where one of its members, Captain Kernel Sher Khan would be posthumously awarded the highest Pakistani military awardNishan-e-Haider , after being killed in combat in Indian-held Kashmir.
After September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001 and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan, the XI Corps became the main Pakistani formation involved in fighting in Waziristan and the North West Frontier in general. It has been reinforced and also commands substantial forces of paramilitary Frontier Corps.
The order of battles of the corps keeps changing, especially in view of its current commitment in the War on terror. During peacetime the XI corps is based in the following areas:
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Wikipedia