10. Alfa (Russia). This unit was created in 1973 under the KGB of the USSR. It became known after the storming of the presidential palace in Kabul, when almost all the people in the building were killed. In 1985, four Soviet diplomats were abducted in Beirut, one of whom was immediately killed. Detachment Alpha found relatives of the organizers of the abduction and eliminated, sending such a kind of message to terrorists.
Now the detachment participates in antiterrorist and special operations inside the country, which are almost always accompanied by numerous victims. This is one of the few Special Forces that operate on the principle of “destroy all”, and not “save the living at all costs”.
9. GIGN (France). The detachment was created after the terrorist act of 1972 in Munich, during the Olympic Games, then several dozen hostages died. And a year before, in France there was a prison riot with numerous victims.
GIGN specializes in anti-terrorist operations and rescue of hostages. The most famous operations of the detachment are the rescue of 30 children who were taken hostage in Djibouti, the arrest of war criminals in Bosnia, the special operations against Somali pirates and the rescue of passengers of the AF8969 Air France flight in Marseilles in 1994.
8. SSG (Pakistan). In 1956, the leadership of the Pakistani army decided to create its own detachment for special operations. The basis was taken from the structure of British SAS and American green berets. The SSG soldier is ready to perform any assigned tasks in the mountains, jungle, desert and under water.
During the Cold War, SSG soldiers underwent training under the guidance of American instructors and acted in conjunction with US Special Forces. Recently, the SSG is mainly involved in anti-terrorist operations in Pakistan. In 2009, the detachment conducted a successful operation to release the hostages in the police academy and the army headquarters.
7. Syeret Matkal (Israel). The special unit was created at the General Staff in 1957. Since the 1960s, Special Forces have taken part in dozens of special operations around the world. The most famous operation carried out by the soldiers Syeret Matkal, is “Jonathan”, which is also known as “Entebbe”.
In 1976, Palestinian militants stole a passenger plane that was landed near the capital of Uganda, Kampala, they held 83 people with Israeli passports hostage. 100 people took part in the storming of the airport, but a shock group of 29 people, consisting of members of a special detachment, neutralized most of the terrorists.
6. Delta Force (USA). The 1st operational detachment of the Special Purpose “Delta” was established in 1977 for carrying out antiterrorist and secret operations, reconnaissance and rescue of hostages.
The basis was taken from the British SAS. The man who stood at the origins of Delta Force, for a long time cooperated with representatives of the British Special Forces.
5. GSG 9 (Germany). This unit specializes in conducting anti-terrorist and special operations under the Ministry of the Interior. It was founded in 1973, exactly one year after the Munich tragedy, when during the Olympic Games terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes.
GSG 9 is used to free hostages, destroy terrorists, neutralize extortionists, protect important persons and conduct sniper operations. Over the course of its existence, more than 1500 successful operations have been performed on their account.
4. JTF2 (Canada). The Canadian detachment under the Ministry of Defense, was founded in 1993, its strength increased after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The main task of this unit is to conduct anti-terrorist and special operations. They are also involved in the protection of particularly important persons.
JTF2 were used to protect the heads of state during the 2010 Winter Olympics, rescued hostages in Iraq, and also tracked Serb snipers in Bosnia. The Canadians, together with the US Navy SEAL, carried out special operations in Afghanistan, which were so secret that the Prime Minister of Canada for several years did not know that JTF2 was actively fighting in Afghanistan.
3. EKO Cobra (Austria). The antiterrorist unit was established in 1978 under the Ministry of the Interior. The idea of creating special forces for the police arose in 1972 after the terrorist act in Munich in 1972.
EKO Cobra is mainly engaged in anti-terrorist operations. This is the only special unit in the world that has neutralized terrorists in a flying airplane, before landing it on an airfield. This happened in 1996, when the criminals demanded to change the course of the civil aircraft, which housed four employees of EKO Cobra.
2. Navy SEAL (USA). The American Navy SEAL detachment, also known as the “Sea Seals”, was created in 1962, it became a real legend, after bold operations carried out over the last few years in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Especially resonant was Operation Neptune Spear in 2011, during which the terrorist number one, Osama bin Laden, was killed.
1. SAS (UK). The best Special Forces unit in the world is the British Special Air Service, created in the distant 1941. It became a model for imitation when creating similar units in other countries.
Initially, the unit created an action in the rear of Italian and German troops in North Africa, eventually transforming into an anti-terrorist unit to conduct operations both inside and outside the country. SAS loudly declared themselves in 1980, when they conducted a successful assault on the Iranian Embassy in London, releasing the hostages.