The Taftan Rifles is a paramilitary regiment forming part of the

Frontier Corps The Frontier Corps (, reporting name: FC) are a group of four paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's b ...

Balochistan (South) of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It is named after the border town of Taftan, Balochistan. The regiment is tasked with defending part of the border with

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and assisting with law enforcement in the districts adjacent to the border. This includes countering drug smuggling operations from the

Golden Crescent The Golden Crescent is the name given to one of Asia's two principal areas of illicit opium production, with the other being the Golden Triangle. Located at the crossroads of Central, South, and West Asia, this space covers the mountainous per ...

, with several significant seizures such as in May 2019, October 2019, and May 2021. The regiment had a 2020/21 budget of and is currently composed of a headquarters wing and seven battalion-sized manoeuvre wings. The Rifles have undergone an expansion in recent years with more than 1,700 recruits being successfully trained over a two-year period covering 2021 and 2022.

Units

* Headquarters Wing * 73 Wing * 75 Wing * 105 Wing * 109 Wing * 148 Wing * 167 Wing * 170 Wing

References

{{Frontier Corps Regiments of the Frontier Corps Frontier Corps Balochistan (South)