Operation Nimrod
On April 1980, 6 armed men belonging to an Iranian separatist
group seized the Iranian Embassy in London and took 26 people hostage.
The separatist demanded the release of political prisoners and safe
passage out of Britain. After six days, the government gave control to
the Special Air Service. SAS soldiers repelled down the roof, swiftly
entering through the windows. The SAS soldiers ambushed and killed all
but one of the terrorists, only one hostage died.
Operation Jericho
During the Nazi occupation in France, Britain launched a
airstrike on Amiens Prison, a prison that had become notorious for
torturing prisoners. The goal was to free several hundred resistance
fighters and political prisoners using mosquito bombers to kill the
guards and create a opening for prisoners to escape. 250 prisoners
escaped, but most prisoners were recaptured or killed.
Raid at Cabanatuan
During World War II, Japan became known for it's horrible
treatment of POWs. After the fall of the Philippines in 1942, tens of
thousands of American and Filipino troops were sent to prison camps.
When the U.S. returned to the Philippines, the Japanese Army started
killing POWs before they could be rescued. Believing that the Japanese
army would not hesitate to kill all the POWs, the U.S. jumped into
action and came up with a strategy to rescue the POWs from one of the
largest prison camps Cabanatuan. 400 soldiers traveled to the camp
killing several hundred Japanese guards and soldiers while rescuing 500
POWs and civilians.
Air France Flight 8969
Air France Flight 8969 was hijacked by four members of the Armed
Islamic Group in December 1994. Originally the terrorists planned on
blowing up the plane over Paris, but the plane was low on gas and was
forced to land at Marseille. When the plane landed, France's
counter-terrorist forces swarmed the plane, entering from the front and
back of the plane. Three of the hijackers died with the last surviving
one barricading himself in the cockpit, he eventually died due to his
wounds. Three hostages died before the assault, but none died during or
after.
Moscow Theatre Siege
On October 23, 2002, 40 armed Chechen militants took over
Dubrovka Theatre in Moscow. 850 people were in the building at the time
and the layout of the theatre made it very challenging to devise a
rescue plan. On top of that, the militants had explosives strapped to
themselves and on the walls. After the militants executed two of the
hostages, Russian special forces pumped an unknown chemical into the
building that knocked everyone out. All 40 of the militants were killed
and 130 of the hostages never recovered from the gas. 700 people were
saved from an almost impossible situation.
Operation Chavin de Huantar
On December 1996, 14 members of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary
Movement invaded the Japanese Ambassador's residence in Peru. The rebels
somehow slipped past armed guards and security to seize the compound
full of people ready to celebrate the Emperor's birthday. By April 1997,
the officials voted to assault the complex. 140 Peruvian commandos dug
tunnels underneath the building and attacked while the others stormed
the front entrance. All the rebels, one hostage and two soldiers were
killed.
Operation Gothic Serpent
During a Somalian humanitarian effort gone awry, 24 UN soldiers
were killed and two Blackhawk helicopters were destroyed. The helicopter
crew were trapped in a kill zone. Two of the crew were captured and two
more were killed. The American soldiers were eventually rescued by a
American, Pakistani and Malaysian military convoy. The situation was
considered one of the most intensive close combat fights since the
Vietnam War.
Operation Thunderbolt
In June 1976, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
hijacked Air France Flight 139. The plane had 250 Israeli and
non-Israeli passengers. The hijackers were only interested in the
Israeli passengers and as soon as the plane landed in Uganda the
hijackers let all of the non-Israeli passengers go, leaving 106
hostages. 100 Israeli commandos were sent in disguised as the president
of Uganda's motorcade. 102 hostages were rescued after a fierce
firefight. The Israeli forces lost a single commando, Yonatan Netanyahu,
who is the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Operation Redwing
In 2005, a SEAL team was sent to Kunar Province, Afghanistan to
neutralize Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. In the middle of their mission, a
group of local goat herders discovered the team. Despite all the members
believing that the herders would report them to the Taliban, the team
decided to let the herders go unharmed. Shortly after the release, the
group was confronted by 200 highly organized Afghan fighters. Several
helicopters were sent to rescue the team, but sadly the mission failed.
Operation Isotope
On May 8 1972, four members from the terrorist group Black
September hijacked a Belgian flight and demanded that 315 Palestinian
prisoners be released. After hearing about the hijacking, Israeli
defense minister Moshe Dayan ordered for a rescue mission. During the
rescue mission, 16 commandos disguised themselves as technicians,
infiltrated the plane, took down two terrorists and captured the other
two. Only one hostage died in the rescue.
