The unit's first operators were drawn from the former Special Forces of the KGB of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic.

[4] At least 19 members of the unit died as the result of the crash, leaving the SCNS with only 32 Alphas on duty.

[5] In September 2015, the Alphas' commander, Colonel Rustam Amakiev, along with another member of the unit were killed during clashes with the mutinous former Deputy Defense Minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda and his supporters.

The 2011 International Crisis Group report described the Alphas as "the only Tajik military unit with serious counter-insurgency expertise".

[5] The Alphas are often dispatched to the different areas of Tajikistan ahead of visits by the country's president.