The Special Task Force "Omega" is a Georgian

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 élite Special Forces

Special forces

Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

 unit, one of the first such formations in the country, active since 1993.

History

The Omega unit was formed 1993 under the supervision of Georgia’s Information-Analytical and Reconnaissance Bureau, a successor to the Georgian branch of the former Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 KGB

KGB

The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...

 (Committee for State Security), chaired by Irakli Batiashvili. The unit is specialized primarily on counter-terrorism and covert operations. It's operatives cooperate with US and British Special Forces

Special forces

Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

 which also provide the group’s special armaments. The Omega force was subordinated to the Georgian Ministry of State Security and was responsible for over 200 special operations in Georgia and foreign countries – most of them successful.

After the major reshuffle in Georgia’s military leadership following the Georgian civil war

Georgian Civil War

The Georgian Civil War consisted of inter-ethnic and intranational conflicts in the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia , as well as the violent military coup d'etat of December 21, 1991 - January 6, 1992 against the first democratically elected President of Georgia, Zviad Gamsakhurdia and his...

 and the government’s temporary reorientation to Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, the Omega group fell in disfavor, especially under the Security Minister Igor Giorgadze

Igor Giorgadze

Igor Giorgadze is a Georgian politician, a former Minister of State Security and the current leader of the `´Samartlianoba´´ Party.- Career :...

, who gave preference to the Russian-trained special forces unit ALFA. The Omega leadership was perceived to have been disloyal to the government. In September 1995, several of the Omega officers were accused of having been involved in the August 29, 1995 assassination attempt of Eduard Shevardnadze

Eduard Shevardnadze

Eduard Shevardnadze is a former Soviet, and later, Georgian statesman from the height to the end of the Cold War. He served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003, and as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party , from 1972 to 1985. Shevardnadze was responsible for many top decisions on...

, Georgia’s head of state. Its commander, Nikoloz Kvezereli, was arrested and charged with organization of the attack on Shevardnadze. The court, however, did not find him guilty and sentenced him seven years’ imprisonment for the alleged abuse of office. Later, several other Omega officers were also arrested, and some of them were found dead in suspicious circumstances. Kvezereli was later pardoned and released. He was a member of the Parliament of Georgia

Parliament of Georgia

Parliament of Georgia is the supreme legislature of Georgia. It is unicameral and has 150 members, known as deputies, from which 75 members are proportional representatives and 75 are elected through single-member district plurality system, representing their constituencies...

 from 1999 to 2008. General Zaza Gogava

Zaza Gogava

Zaza Gogava is a Georgian Major General and the chief of Border Police since November 2008. He served as a Chief of Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Georgia from November 2006 to November 2008....

, a Chief of Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Georgia

Military of Georgia

The Georgian Armed Forces , is the name of the unified armed forces of Georgia. The Georgian military is a defence force consisting of the Georgian Land Forces, Georgian Air Force and a paramilitary organization Georgian National Guard...

 from 2006 to 2008, also served in the Omega group.

Since 2005, together with the fast response unit ALFA, the newly formed Omega Special Task Force is part of a joint anti terror headquarter of the Central Main Task Division of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The experienced members of these units are being intensively trained and prepared on highest level for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations by former operators of the elite unit and foreign advisors. The unit underwent many joint operations in corporation with US and UK Special Services, many times using US vehicles and gear. Admission criteria include several years of service in Army Special Forces units, high condition, a wide spectrum of combat, tactics and leadership skills. Georgian Counter Terror units took part in the 2008 South Ossetia War

2008 South Ossetia war

The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....

, inflicting heavy casaulties on Russo-Ossetian forces. They were mainly responsible for cleaning all villages which were controlled by South Ossetian militia. CT Commandos are credited with conducting the fierce attack on the mechanized column of Russian army commander Anatoly Khrulyov

Anatoly Khrulyov

Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulyov is a Russian general who was the commander of the Russian 58th Army in South Ossetia during the 2008 South Ossetia War. He was wounded when his military column moving into Tskhinvali was destroyed by Georgian special forces on 9 August 2008.- References :...

, who's battalion sized unit got almost completely destroyed. Quickly after the clashes, checkpoints were set up in and around the town of Igoeti to observe Russian forces until their withdrawal and quickly interact if necessary or ordered.