Special Ops

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A Ninja Attacked Army Special Ops Unit With a Sword

It was reportedly a katana

(Newser) - Some odd reports out of California are painting a bizarre picture of an attack on a US Army special operations unit--by a ninja. Or at least a man dressed as one. Per NPR , members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment were training at the Inyokern Airport in Kern County...

US Special Operations Soldier Killed in Somalia

Allegedly at hands of al-Shabab

(Newser) - There are more than 7,300 US Special Operations forces soldiers operating around the world, reports the New York Times , and one lost his life in Africa on Friday. The BBC reports the incident in southwest Somalia was believed to be an ambush by al-Shabab militants; four other American service...

Report: Green Beret Killed After Spotting SEALs' Scheme
Report: Green Beret Killed
After Spotting SEALs' Scheme
in case you missed it
Nov 18, 2017 3:15 PM CST

Report: Green Beret Killed After Spotting SEALs' Scheme

Logan Melgar found cash that was supposed to go to informants, reports Daily Beast

(Newser) - A jarring story emerged last month about US special operations forces: Two Navy SEALs are under investigation in the death of an Army Green Beret in the African nation of Mali. Details on a potential motive have been scant, but the Daily Beast has talked to five special-ops sources to...

First Female SEAL Candidate Is Here
First Female
SEAL Candidate
Is Here
Jul 21, 2017 11:38 AM CDT

First Female SEAL Candidate Is Here

She must still get through difficult training

(Newser) - A big first for the US Navy: The branch has its female SEAL candidate. A second woman is a candidate to become a special warfare combatant crewman, another elite special operations job previously open only to men. "They are the first candidates that have made it this far in...

Yemen 'Bans US Raids'
Yemen 'Bans US Raids'
Feb 8, 2017 6:10 AM CST

Yemen 'Bans US Raids'

Sources say civilian deaths outraged government

(Newser) - The raid that led to the death of a Navy SEAL and an unknown number of civilians might be the last time Special Operations boots are on the ground in Yemen for a long time. Sources tell the New York Times that Yemen's government, angered by the civilian deaths,...

US Special Ops Force Being Sent to Fight ISIS in Iraq, Syria

'We are acting to defeat [ISIS] at its core'

(Newser) - The US will be sending an unspecified number of special operations troops to Iraq to "put even more pressure" on ISIS in both Iraq and Syria, NBC News reports. "These special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture [ISIS] leaders,...

Airman Killed in Jump Was About to Tie the Knot Again

Marty Bettelyoun had recently proposed to his wife of 8 years

(Newser) - Married for eight years, Jennifer Bettelyoun was about to have the dream wedding she and hubby Marty Bettelyoun missed the first time around. After a quick romance, the couple were married by a justice of the peace just before Marty, a special operations airman, was posted to a base in...

Marines Reclaim Historic Name for Elite Troops

Meet the 'Marine Raiders'

(Newser) - The Army has the Green Berets, while the Navy is known for the SEALs. Now, an elite branch of the Marine Corps will officially be known as Raiders. The Marines renamed several special operations units as Marine Raiders at a ceremony yesterday, resurrecting a moniker made famous by World War...

As Yemen Deteriorates, US Pulls Last Troops

About 100 special ops forces evacuating

(Newser) - Another sign of the chaos in Yemen: The US is pulling its last troops from the country. CNN reports that about 100 special ops forces were evacuating the Al Anad airbase as militants affiliated with al-Qaeda cement their gains in the country. Those militants recently took control of the nearby...

Seized al-Qaeda Laptop Yields Intelligence Goldmine

New York Times reports it's led to a surge in special ops raids

(Newser) - This should be a quiet time for US troops in Afghanistan: Not only is the US winding down its mission, but winter traditionally brings a lull in activity. But all that goes out the window when an al-Qaeda laptop turns up. The New York Times reports that the intelligence gleaned...

US Nabs Suspected Benghazi Mastermind

Special forces capture Ahmed Abu Khattala

(Newser) - US Special Forces captured Ahmed Abu Khattala, the man long suspected of leading the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, over the weekend in a secret raid, official sources tell the Washington Post . American troops, working with the FBI, apprehended Khattala near Benghazi, and are currently holding him...

SEAL Team Six Member Dies in Daring Rescue From Taliban

Troops free kidnapped American doctor

(Newser) - A member of Seal Team Six died during a daring rescue mission in Afghanistan yesterday, in which special forces successfully freed an American doctor from the Taliban. "He gave his life for his fellow Americans," President Obama said in praising the man, while Leon Panetta called him a...

Special Forces Boss Seeks Freer Hand

Admiral William McRaven wants more autonomy in deploying special ops

(Newser) - As the US increasingly turns to Special Forces instead of troop deployments to make surgical hits, the admiral in charge of Special Forces Command is looking for more autonomy in positioning his elite units and their equipment around the world, reports the New York Times . Admiral William McRaven, who oversaw...

CIA Fills Void in Iraq, Afghanistan

Agency expects to maintain large stations there for years

(Newser) - US troops may be leaving Iraq and Afghanistan, but the CIA isn't. The agency's stations in the two countries may see staffing levels fall off a bit, but they'll remain its biggest overseas locations for years, officials tell the Washington Post . The Obama administration is counting on...

US Sending 'Mothership' to Gulf for Special Ops

Navy retrofitting warship for commando missions: Washington Post

(Newser) - With the US increasingly relying on targeted special ops instead of large military forces, the Pentagon will send an aging warship to the Gulf region to serve as a "mothership" for Navy SEALs and other special forces fighting Somali pirates, al-Qaeda, and other threats (like maybe this ), reports...

Even in Death, Secrecy Shrouds SEAL Team 6

Navy asks for caution, saying news already 'has become a threat'

(Newser) - Little is known about the Navy's vaunted SEAL Team 6, but not much more is known about the 17 members killed in a helicopter crash last week in Afghanistan , reports the LA Times in a look at how the secretive unit even grieves under the radar. The widow of...

Was Crashed Copter's Rescue Mission Necessary?

Investigators probing that question

(Newser) - A heartbreaking twist in the helicopter tragedy that claimed 38 US and Afghan lives: The rescue mission the troops were en route to may not even have been necessary. Special Operations forces in the remote Tangi Valley requested assistance after coming under fire from "several" insurgents, even though they...

30 US Troops Die in Afghan Chopper Crash

Deadliest incident in decade-old war; Karzai sends condolences

(Newser) - A helicopter crash in Afghanistan's eastern Wardak province has killed 30 US special operation troops and seven Afghan soldiers, Hamid Karzai said today. (The US figure was revised from 31.) It was the highest number of casualties recorded in a single incident in the decade-long war. NATO confirmed...

Meet the Secret Team That Took Down bin Laden

'National Journal' offers an inside look at the JSOC

(Newser) - An elite Navy SEALs team is credited with taking down Osama bin Laden, and in the National Journal , Marc Ambinder offers a look inside the "highly mythologized" SEAL Team Six and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) to which it belongs. SEAL Team Six, officially known as the Naval...

Pentagon Presses for Special-Ops Raids in Pakistan

But some in administration fear political fallout will be too great

(Newser) - Frustrated US military commanders in Afghanistan are pushing for a series of Special Ops ground raids in Pakistan, sources tell the New York Times , in essence opening up a new front in the war. The raids would likely need approval from President Obama himself, and the wary administration fears political...

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