WW2 THE KAFFRARIAN RIFLES cloth shoulder titles.

Kaffarian Rifles cloth shoulder title, British Indian Army. embroidered shoulder title with red lettering on green backing, worn by the Kaffarian Rifles – a locally raised Frontier Corps unit recruited from the Afghan–Indian border region. During the Second World War the Kaffarian Rifles served on the North-West Frontier, undertaking internal security and border defence duties while regular formations were deployed overseas.

One of the British Empire’s lesser-known frontier regiments.The Kaffarian Rifles were a locally raised auxiliary regiment of the British Indian Army, recruited from the Kaffiristan / Kunar–Chitral frontier region (today largely eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan).

They were part of the Frontier Corps system – irregular but highly valued troops used by the British to control and defend some of the most difficult terrain in the Empire.

The Kaffarian Rifles were:

• Light infantry, trained for mountain and frontier warfare

• Drawn from local tribesmen, renowned for endurance and marksmanship

• Used for internal security, patrols, and border defence rather than parade-ground soldiering

These were not ceremonial troops – they were practical, hard-used soldiers operating in hostile terrain. 

Where they fought in World War 2

During World War II, their service was concentrated in:

• India’s North-West Frontier, The Afghan border regions, Internal security and frontier control duties

Their wartime role included:

• Guarding vulnerable frontier areas while regular British and Indian Army units were deployed overseas

• Suppressing tribal unrest and protecting supply routes

• Maintaining stability along a politically sensitive border during a global war

Kaffarian Rifles cloth shoulder title, British Indian Army. embroidered shoulder title with red lettering on green backing, worn by the Kaffarian Rifles – a locally raised Frontier Corps unit recruited from the Afghan–Indian border region. During the Second World War the Kaffarian Rifles served on the North-West Frontier, undertaking internal security and border defence duties while regular formations were deployed overseas. Scarce and evocative insignia from one of the British Empire’s lesser-known frontier regiments.