The 8 most elite special forces in the world

Special units are considered the most trained formations in the armed forces of the countries of the world. They are sent to solve the most complex tasks in the most inaccessible places, are able to independently determine the scale of potential threats and perform strategically important tasks with the help of point, local actions. In this list, you can learn about the best of the best.

It is worth mentioning right away that, although the compilation of this list is a rather complex and ambiguous process, the authors still tried to be as objective as possible. In the modern world, where the effectiveness of the army is not always expressed in absolute terms — the number of personnel and weapons, the units from the above list can play a decisive role in various conflicts.

A special purpose group of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, also known as the" Black Storks " (due to the special design of headdresses). The unit's fighters received a baptism of fire in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1965, later took part in the Afghan War (1979-1989), and recently have been actively involved in the fight against Islamists (the storming of the Red Mosque in 2007, etc.).

In October 2009, the Black Storks stormed one of the main office buildings of the Pakistani armed forces, from where they managed to rescue 39 people taken hostage by the Taliban terrorists.

The Spanish Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (Special Operations Unit), which became a special group of the Spanish Navy in 2009, has long been considered one of the most respected special forces in Europe. Initially created in 1952 as an amphibious climbing volunteer unit, the special group was gradually transformed into an elite unit of the Spanish army, following the example of the British Special Air Service (SAS).

It is not so easy to earn the right to wear the coveted green beret: about 70-80% of candidates fail at the very beginning of the endurance test, and of those who still barely passed the first stages of selection, many do not withstand subsequent tests.

Department " A "of the Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia (also known as "Alpha") — one of the most famous special forces in the world. This elite anti-terrorist special group was created back in 1974 by the KGB and is still used to solve many tasks where unique skills are required.

Soldiers of the special forces "Alpha" took part in the operation to free hostages from the theater center on Dubrovka in October 2002.

Only a few anti-terrorist units in the world can compare with the intervention group of the French National Gendarmerie (GIGN), the elite anti-terrorist unit of the French Gendarmerie. It consists of 200 highly trained fighters trained to participate in hostage rescue operations. Since 1973, the GIGN fighters have managed to free more than 600 people.

One of the most extraordinary episodes in the history of GIGN was the seizure of a Reserved Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, which occurred as part of the release of hostages held inside a religious building in 1979. Since adherents of other religions are forbidden to be in In Makkah, a team of three GIGN fighters had to quickly convert to Islam before helping the special forces of the Saudi army free the hostages.

Sayeret Matkal is a special unit of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The main task of the group is to collect intelligence information, its fighters often operate on enemy territory. During the special selection (the so-called Gibbush), applicants for the role of new fighters undergo severe tests, and only a few can boast of excellent results.

In 2003, Israeli taxi driver Elyahu Gurel was abducted while driving four Palestinians to Jerusalem in his car. But Sayeret Matkal fighters managed to find and rescue him from a well at an abandoned factory in the suburbs of Ramallah.

On the chevron of the British Special Air Service (Special Air Service, SAS) there is the phrase " Who dares wins "("Who takes risks, wins"). When asked about the role played by SAS soldiers in the Iraq war, US Army General Stanley McChrystal replied: "Very serious. We wouldn't have been able to do anything without them."

The British equivalent of the American "Navy Seals" is the Special Boat Service (SBS), a special operations unit of the Royal Navy. The selection process for the unit includes a grueling endurance test, training in the rain forests of Belize, as well as an intensive survey of candidates who have only two attempts.

To get into the special unit of the US Navy SEAL, better known as "Navy Seals", you need to have time to do push-ups at least 72 times in 2 minutes, sit down at least 60 times in 2 minutes, run 4 miles (6.4 km) in 31 minutes and swim 1000 yards (910 meters) in 20 minutes.