U.S. Commandos Hit Pakistan; Islamabad Howls

U.S. and Afghan special operations troops attacked militants in Pakistan yesterday -- "the first publicly acknowledged case of United States forces conducting a ground raid on Pakistani soil," according to the New York Times.

Officials in Islamabad are livid -- or making a show of being livid, at least. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq called the raid by helicopter-borne commandos a "gross violation of Pakistan's territory" and "a grave provocation." Dawn, the Pakistani paper, claims "20 people, most of them women and children, were killed" in the assault.

Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces, based in Pakistan, have been striking targets in Afghanistan for years. They've even been blamed for an attempted hit on Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Until now, American forces have mostly responded with airstrikes and artillery, although "the elite SEAL Team 6 raided a suspected Al Qaeda compound at Damadola [Pakistan] in 2006," according to the Los Angeles Times. And U.S. troops "in 'hot pursuit' of militants have had some latitude to chase them across the border," the New York Times notes.

ANTI-SHIP WEAPON

Another anti-ship weapon is the versatile Hellfire laser-guided missile, which is now mounted on a tripod by the Norwegian military after successful tests. (right) This 100 lb supersonic missile can hit targets over 5000 meters away. Commandos can fire several missiles in a few minutes and cause major damage, especially if they explode missiles stored in a ship's box launchers. Commandos can also release sea mines in ship lanes and port entrances. The explosion of just one mine may shut down all ship activity until minesweepers can check the area. However, unarmed minesweepers are easy targets for commandos as well, so frigates must escort them, which become targets themselves.

41 Independent Commando R.M. Korea 1950-1952

With a bold stroke of military genius the C in C UN Command, General Douglas MacArthur, reversed the fortunes of the beleaguered UN forces by withdrawing the Ist Provisional USMC Brigade from the Pusan perimeter to form the 1st US Marine Division (I Mar Div) at sea with two Regimental Combat Teams (or Brigade Groups) and HQ elements brought from the States. This fine Division made an amphibious landing at Inchon on 17 September 1950 and went on to seize the South Korean capital of Seoul. Simultaneously United Nations forces broke out of the Pusan perimeter. North Korean resistance started to collapse and their forces began to withdraw North of the 38th parallel.

9,000 NATO Commandos In Adriatic Operation

NACIONAL REVEALS the details of a mass military exercise involving the NATO Response Force, to be held in cooperation with the Croatian Army from 1 to 12 October of this year in central and northern Dalmatia and Istria

Commandos lead helicopter assault into Kandahar province

Instead of employing conventional tactics of moving in from secured flank areas, Operation Janubi Tapu (Southern Vulture) has seen the Royal Marines of 42 Commando Group inserted by a number of helicopter waves straight into an area that has been regarded by the insurgents as a safe haven.

SPECIAL OPERATION

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat." THEODORE ROOSEVELT (Paris Sorbonne,1910)

THIRD REICH AT WAR

This third and final volume in Richard J Evans' masterly trilogy on the history of Nazi Germany traces the rise and fall of German military might, against the background of the mobilization of the 'people's community' in the service of a war of conquest, racial subjugation and genocide. Interweaving a broad narrative of the war's progress with personal testimony from a wide range of people, from generals to front-line soldiers, from Hitler Youth activists to middle-class housewives, Richard Evans lays bare the dynamics of a society plunged into war at ev...

ROYAL NAVAL COMMANDO ASSOCIATION

The early amphibious raids by the Commandos between l940 and l942 pointed up to the obvious need for better intelligence and control on the beaches. The earliest attempt at exerting some control had been by the Royal Navy manning the landing craft, but when this proved inadequate, specialized 'beach parties' were formed and were first tried during Operation Ironclad to capture the port of Diego Suarez at the northern tip of Madagascar between 5th and 7th May l942. This proved so successful that the Royal Naval Commandos (sometimes known as 'Beachead Commandos') were formed. Their duties included: landing in or ahead of the first wave to clear the beaches, to mark limits of the beachhead, consolidate the beachhead, clearing personnel and equipment from the beachhead expeditiously, helping moor landing craft correctly, removing mines and underwater obstructions, taping the safe passage routes off the beaches for the wounded, informing subsequent waves of important intelligence about the defences and strenghts of the enemy and advising how to exploit the enemies weakness, setting up important ammunition and supply dumps, also supporting a wide variety of troops with any initial advance inland, supervising enemy prisoners of war, being available to tackle any task and act as a rearguard during any withdrawals.