26 Aug SITREP: A legally sanctioned capture operation
By,
Octavio Pérez, Senior Fellow, MSI²
Much has been written about incidents in the past of memorable covert operations to capture criminal elements, terrorists, and even generals. These incidents happened in times of war and others without conflict.
According to the Anti-War Movement of the 1970s, the infamous movie The Green Berets dealt with an operation of this kind. The movie did end up being a box office hit, grossing $32 million in 1968.
But in fact, in 2013, the US Special Forces Delta Team did go into Tripoli, Libya, and extracted Abu Anas al-Libi. He had been part of Al Qaeda in a joint operation between the FBI/CIA and Delta Forces. He was wanted for his role in the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. So, 15 years later, the case against him was reopened.
This operation was conducted in lieu of a drone strike, which had become very common and standard practice when identifying a terrorist in transit or in an inhospitable area. This alternative solution carries two benefits:
- Politically and internationally, the condemnation and reproach are minimized since you have a living hostage.
- On the tactical and strategic side, you have a person to interrogate, which can in turn lead to others who can suffer the same fate in lieu of death by drone.
Arresting someone would be considered more humane, legitimate, rational, and civil.
On the other hand, death by drone, like in the case of Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, is still labelled as an assassination.
Ayman Al Zawahiri also fell on August 2, 2022, in Kabul, to a drone strike, adding to the list Maher al Awlaki in Yemen in 2011, and ‘Jihadi John’ (Mohammed Emwazi), the ISIS executioner, who also fell to a drone strike. Abu Musab al Zarqawi in 2006 and Qaed Salim Sinan al Harit, who was tied to the attack on the USS Cole in 2002.
The drone killing program has ultimately been widely criticized, considered barbaric, but as you see, it has been actively in use from 2002 through 2022—still an option, a card of the deck, just in case. Bringing to justice a live prisoner, putting them on a trial, and sentencing them under a legitimate judicial system also carries much more weight.
These operations are not always successful and run into failure or aborted attempts for a myriad of reasons:
In 1970, the United States executed Operation Ivory Coast in North Vietnam. The plan was to liberate 61 American POWs (Prisoners of War) at the Son Tay Prison, 23 miles west of Hanoi. The operation was a tactical success, but no prisoners were found on site. They had been moved to another camp.
So, not all that is well planned and executed ends up in success when you are working behind enemy lines or in a foreign country. Timing has been a determining factor in many operations.
In the case of Osama Bin Laden, there were several aborted operations, one in particular in December 1998, when intelligence sources identified that he was at the governor’s mansion, and after further updates, the cruise missile was not launched for fear of killing upwards of 300 civilians, mostly women and children. It was not until 2004, when the 9/11 commission rendered its report, that we found out that he had left the mansion; had the cruise missile hit, it would have killed 300 innocent people. In another incident, at a wedding he attended, the same risk was present. Intelligence sources noticed he left the site minutes before impact, so the strike was aborted.
As those incidents piled up, knowing the imponderability of a moving target, other options were pursued, and the advent of the Predator drone filled in the gap. Ergo, the drones being used for reconnaissance and surveillance became part of the Hunter drones.
Not all operations end well; the risks are immeasurable if something goes wrong. A special forces team could have losses, injuries, and even be captured, creating a bigger political disaster. Using the captured member as ransom, propaganda against us.
Capture operations can help US intelligence and serve as good public relations. They remain as an option in the books and should be executed when possible, without abandoning killing operations altogether. Death by drone will remain an option for the foreseeable future.
A success story does occur ever so often; the video of the capture of Anas Al Libi shows how he was pulled from his car and shoved into a white van in less than 60 seconds without firing a shot in the middle of Tripoli. A small detachment of 8-10 men did the job. The rest of the control of the operation, drone surveillance, aircraft crews, and operations cell could ultimately exceed 100 people but only 8-10 were there on the ground.
So, for those recently added to the terrorist list of organizations, don’t forget that this option is part of the repertoire and has not been ruled out from the books. Catch and Snatch operations, extractions, rescue operations, all of them are practiced, rehearsed, and studied in all Special Operations Commands.
References
ABC News. (2013, October 7). Gone in 60 seconds: Video shows secret US anti-terror grab. https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/60-seconds-video-shows-us-secret-snatch-operation/story?id=22449318
Brookings Institute. (2013, October 10). Byman, D. L. Captures vs drones. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/captures-vs-drones/
NBC News. (2013, October 6). Al Qaeda leader seized in Libya was on FBI’s “most wanted” list. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/al-qaeda-leader-seized-libya-was-fbis-most-wanted-list-flna8c11344117
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Miami Strategic Intelligence Institute (MSI²).