America’s Navy SEALs have access to the latest weaponry [(REX)]

The Navy SEALs struck just before dawn after dropping by parachute from stealth helicopters. Within minutes it was all over: nine pirates were dead, their two hostages freed and the commandos melted away into the night without a single casualty. It’s easy to understand why the kidnappers let their guard drop. Deep in lawless Somalia they must have assumed they were safe even from the reach of the US military. Osama Bin Laden made a similarly fatal mistake. In fact there is almost nowhere on Earth to hide from Team Six, the elite unit of the SEALs. Members of the same shadowy group, the American equivalent of the SAS, were responsible for both missions and their shock tactics are becoming the blueprint for international special forces.

The team can bend international laws and employ “justifiable use of deadly force”

Their latest triumph, following the assassination of the Al Qaeda leader in Pakistan in May, resulted in the safe release of aid workers Poul Thisted and Jessica Buchanan earlier this week. Officially Team Six, comprising about 30 men, doesn’t exist. However in the US the unit is gaining near legendary status and military sources say there will be more attacks using the same template. “The idea is to make pirates, Al Qaeda, anybody operating in the law- less territory of Somalia or anywhere else feel like there is no safe territory,” says Ryan Zinke, a Montana state senator and ex-member of the team.

Also known as the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group the team has its pick of the US navy’s finest men. Would-be recruits must complete a rigorous training programme, including a notorious camp known as Hell Week. They learn unarmed combat, are taught to be crack shots and many are fluent in the languages of the countries where they’re most likely to be deployed. The team can bend international laws and employ “justifiable use of deadly force”. SEAL operators can swim ashore from submarines to carry out deadly raids, “fast rope” from helicopters, or undertake HALO (High Altitude-Low Opening) parachute jumps.

They have access to the latest weaponry and hardware, including pilotless reconnaissance drones capable of warning them of what to expect. Originally Team Six was put together in response to a catastrophic attempted rescue of American hos- tages in Iran during the Eighties. The name was used to confuse Soviet intelligence regarding the number of SEAL teams which operated at the time. In fact only two others existed. Howard Wasdin, a former sniper with the unit who wrote a book about its exploits, says: “These men are very motivated, highly athletic, above average intelligence with just an intense desire to serve and be one of the best of the best. They must be able to adapt, improvise, overcome.”

President Obama is known to be a huge admirer of Team Six, which hasalso operated in Yemen and Iraq and works closely with the CIA. After the raid in Somalia he was overheard telling an aide: “Good job tonight.” The President has won praise for having the nerve to authorise such raids, knowing they are very risky. The Bin Laden mission came close to disaster when one of the helicop- ters crashed and there’s always the likelihood of casualties. The success of Team Six raises a major question: why don’t we make more use of our special forces for this type of mission? One commen- tator suggested yesterday that Britain appears to have lost its appetite for such derring-do.

In November a ransom was paid for the release of British hostages Paul and Rachel Chandler, who were held by Somali pirates for 13 months. There have also been cases of hostages being held for months in Iraq before being killed by kidnappers. In fact as Britain faces an unprece- dented terrorist threat the SAS and Special Boat Service (SBS) are moreactive than they have been at any time since the Second World War. One source says: “The SAS is still extremely busy. It’s a relatively small organisation but is operating on an industrial scale in Afghanistan, taking out Taliban leaders and bomb- makers. Because of the intense secrecy surrounding the SAS we just don’t hear about the successes and you also have to remember that Osama Bin Laden was a spectacular target. There are equally impressive raids going on in Afghanistan but the targets are simply lower profile.”