On the ground, the expanded harki units forming the nucleus of Challe’s Commandos de Chasse showed themselves contributing more effectively than ever before—or afterwards. Modelled on the katibas themselves, the Commandos would strike off into the djebel for days at a time, living off the land and at the same time severing the adversary from his sources of supply, ruthlessly hunting down the hunter. They were constantly in radio communication with Challe’s command post, and immediately contact was made with a katiba the Commandos would bring down helicoptered shock troops from the Réserve Générale to hem it in from all sides.

XREF: Connects to broader counterinsurgency theory about local knowledge and mobility — echoes current debates on special forces and auxiliary troops. SEED: The harki/Commando model is a case study for how irregular adversaries shape the structure of the forces hunting them.

Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Alge…, loc. 1012