The Special Operations Battalion (Albanian

Albanian

Albanian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Albania* Albanians, a people living in Albania, Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Italy and elsewhere* The Albanian language...

: Batalioni i Operacioneve Speciale) or commonly known as BOS is the main special forces unit of the Albanian Armed Forces. Today is the most elite unit of the Albanian Army, as well as being one of the best trained and most professional special operations

Special operations

Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...

 unit in the region. The unit is tasked with special operations

Special operations

Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...

 in wartime, and primarily counter-terrorism

Counter-terrorism

Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...

 in peacetime. The battalion is part of the Commando Regiment and its HQ, training facilities and barracks are located a few kilometers north-east of Tirana

Tirana

Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...

. The BOS members can be recognized by their maroon berets, and the unit insignia which is carried on the right sleeve of their uniforms.

History

The Special Operations Battalion was created in 1999 as a direct answer to the region's geopolitical situation. Shortly after their creation, teams of BOS operators were deployed along the Albanian-Yugoslav border during the Kosovo War

Kosovo War

The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...

 in 1999 and later along the Albanian-Macedonian border during that country's war in 2001. During these two conflicts, BOS' main tasks were reconnaissance and long-range patrol. In 2002, BOS operators were deployed in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In Afghanistan, the first contingents operated under Turkish command and their tasks mainly dealt with patrolling the areas around Kabul. In 2004, Albania sent a unit from the Special Operations Battalion to Mosul as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The unit together with other units from the Commando Regiment were responsible for base security and perimeter defense. In July 2010, a detachment of 44 men (codenamed EAGLE 1) from the BOS was deployed to Kandahar

Kandahar

Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...

, Afghanistan. Differently from the rest of previous Albanian contingents, this unit was directly involved in combat operations. It is believed that the unit worked closely with US military intelligence and was responsible for deep reconnaissance behind Taliban lines as well as intelligence collection on High-value targets.

Recruitment, selection and training

All members of the Albanian land forces can be considered for special forces training. After applying, the candidates go through a 12 week selection process. During these 12 weeks, the candidates are forced to march cross country against the clock, increasing the distances covered each day, culminating with a 27 km march on mountainous terrain. In addition, the candidates have to go through marksmanship, navigation and physical endurance tests. During the last week of the selection process, the tests and marches go on for more than 24 hours without stopping. The candidates that are able to pass the selection process, then go through another 14 week-long training process where they have to learn survival skills and sharpen their shooting techniques. For the final test, the candidates are left without food for 72 hours in a remote area of the country. Their objective is to evade any possible follower and get back to base undetected.

Structure

The Special Operations Battalion is composed of one command team and four companies, each specialized for a different variety of missions:

• Anti-terror company - specialized in hostage rescuing and rapid reaction operations
• Airborne company - specialized in air infiltration techniques
• Seaborne company - specialized in seaborne infiltration and under-water demolition
• Alpine company - specialized in mountain warfare and alpinism

Equipment

Weapons

• Beretta ARX-160
  Beretta ARX-160
  The ARX-160 is an assault rifle manufactured by Pietro Beretta S.p.A.. Developed for the Italian armed forces as part of the Soldato Futuro program, the ARX-160 has been launched in the year 2008 as a commercial weapon system independent from the Soldato Futuro ensemble, complete with a companion...
  
  
• Heckler & Koch HK417
• G-36
• AKM
  AKM
  The AKM is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....
  
  
• MG4
• Sako TRG
  Sako TRG
  Sako TRG-22/42 sniper rifles were developed by the Finnish firearm manufacturer SAKO of Riihimäki. The TRG-22 is designed to fire standard .308 Winchester ammunition, while the TRG-42 is designed to fire more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition and therefore has a...
  
  
• Barret M82
• MP-5
• MP-7
• Beretta Px4 Storm
  Beretta Px4 Storm
  The Beretta Px4 Storm is a semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Beretta of Italy and intended for personal defense and law enforcement use. The Px4 uses the same short-recoil, rotating barrel lock as the Beretta 8000 Models and uses the same operating system as the M9/92/96 series, while being...
  
  
• Beretta 92
  Beretta 92
  The Beretta 92 is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The model 92 was designed in 1972 and production of many variants in different calibers continues today...
  
  

Vehicles

• Land Rover Defender
• Humvee used in Iraq and Afghanistan
• MRAP
  MRAP
  MRAP stands for Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amitié entre les peuples , and is an anti-racist French NGO, created in 1949...
  
   used by Eagle-2, 3, 4 in Kandahar.
• Mi-8
  MI-8
  MI-8 may refer to:* MI8, the WWII British signals intelligence agency* Mil Mi-8, the Soviet-designed helicopter* Mitten im 8en, an Austrian TV soap/comedy series* Black Chamber, the United States' first peacetime cryptanalytic organization...
  
  
• Bell 205