Unit 326
Encyclopedia
Unit 326 was an Albania
n special forces
group. It consisted of approximately 600 members. Its duties included counter-terrorism
, riot control
, search and rescue
, and demolition. In some respect its duties were reminiscent of the British
SAS
. After 1991 the unit was abolished due to its controversial role and association with the Communist government of Albania
, and its members were dispersed into subsequent special operations
units such as RENEA
, ROS
, Shqiponjat
, and the Commando Brigade.
and Navy diver
s. In the period 1982-1990 the unit was mostly employed in security measures in sport stadiums, which due to the degeneration of the political and economical situation in Albania were considered as potential hubs of mass movements of insurrection. In this period the unit came only twice in armed conflict.
The first time was in September, 1982 when a band of three Albanian expatriates
- named Haznedari and Mustafa, and an unidentified resident of New Zealand - reputedly joined with rightwing political exiles and decided to challenge the Communist dictatorship. Haznedari, owner of a commercial laundry in Rome and banned from the U.S. for several years on political grounds, and the New Zealander were reputedly undercover Communist Albanian intelligence officers, who had left Albania in the late 1940s to spy on their fellow nationals living in exile. Mustafa, also an immigrant from Albania and owner of a Staten Island, NY auto repair shop, had fled a US court trial on drug smuggling charges in the spring of 1981. The trio chartered a fishing boat in a southeast Italy village and were transported across the Adriatic Sea by the boat's skipper. Mustafa was killed by Albanian security forces on the beach near Fier where they landed from their chartered boat, as was Hazndari. The New Zealander was captured, tried and imprisoned for several years before being freed and deported to Auckland and his family. Prince Leka Zogu, pretender to the long-abolished Albanian throne, at first claimed a link to the strange events, but soon denied being involved.
The second time, a few years later, that Unit 326 intervened against a common criminal who was barricaded in a house in Shkodër
.
With the fall of the Iron Curtain
, and the apparent inability of the authorities to enforce law and order, the Unit began recruiting many conscripted soldiers in an effort to maintain an all-around capability to deal with the growing demand in law enforcement initiatives. At this time the only mandated duties were anti-riot. It was at this time (1991) when the unit registered its first fallen operative – a 21 year old killed in cold blood by a band of criminals.
In January 1991, under pressure from the international community as well as Albanian public opinion, a general amnesty was declared for the political prisoners languishing in communist jails and work-camps. When common criminals, serving their sentences in the same jails, understood that the amnesty left them out, rioted. In the Shenkoll (trans:Saint Nicholas
) penitentiary
the riots were particularly violent were dozens of prisoners took hostage several guardians. The Unit was called into action and managed to bring about a solution to the crisis by using only tear-gas and plastic bullets, avoiding in the process any fatalities.
, domestic and foreign, took advantage of the ensuing law and order vacuum and began spreading illegal activities in the country. With the deterioration of the situation, it became impossible for the unit to serve under a dual role – anti riot and CT hostage rescue – and for this reason in November 1991, following a strict and rigid selection, approximately eighty out of six-hundred of its members formed RENEA
. The rest of the unit was folded into other elite units, such as Forcat e Nderhyrjes se Shpejte FNSh (Rapid Intervention Forces), organized according to the French
CRS
(Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité
), and U.S. SWAT
. FNSH maintain a presence in 12 prefectures of the country.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n 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...
group. It consisted of approximately 600 members. Its duties included 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...
, riot control
Riot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
, search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
, and demolition. In some respect its duties were reminiscent of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
. After 1991 the unit was abolished due to its controversial role and association with the Communist government of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, and its members were dispersed into subsequent 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...
units such as RENEA
RENEA
The Reparti i Neutralizimit të Elementit të Armatosur , commonly known by its acronym RENEA, is the main Albanian counter-terrorist and critical incident response unit. The force was constituted the early 1990s in response to the growing crime levels in the country after the fall of communism...
, ROS
Reparti i Operacioneve Speciale
The Reparti i Operacioneve Speciale was an Albanian special forces unit, under the authority of the country's Ministry of the Interior. It was based in the western port city of Durrës. Founded in February 2000, it was used principally against organised crime. It was disbanded in 2002....
, Shqiponjat
Shqiponjat (police unit)
Shqiponjat is a quick intervention group of the Albanian state police, equipped and trained by Italian police....
, and the Commando Brigade.
History
Unit 326 was activated in 1982 as Battalion 326 in an anti-riot role under the all-powerful Ministry of Interior. The first batch of recruits came from a variety of military and law enforcements units such as the army, National Guard, National PoliceAlbanian Police
The Albanian State Police is the national police and law enforcement agency which operates throughout the Republic of Albania. The falling down of the Communist system and the setting up of the political pluralism after the year 1991 brought important changes in the structure of the Albanian Police...
and Navy diver
Navy diver
Navy diver is a general term to describe members of a country's naval forces who specialize in underwater diving and military diving.* Australia: Royal Australian Navy clearance diver* Canada: Canadian clearance diver...
s. In the period 1982-1990 the unit was mostly employed in security measures in sport stadiums, which due to the degeneration of the political and economical situation in Albania were considered as potential hubs of mass movements of insurrection. In this period the unit came only twice in armed conflict.
The first time was in September, 1982 when a band of three Albanian expatriates
- named Haznedari and Mustafa, and an unidentified resident of New Zealand - reputedly joined with rightwing political exiles and decided to challenge the Communist dictatorship. Haznedari, owner of a commercial laundry in Rome and banned from the U.S. for several years on political grounds, and the New Zealander were reputedly undercover Communist Albanian intelligence officers, who had left Albania in the late 1940s to spy on their fellow nationals living in exile. Mustafa, also an immigrant from Albania and owner of a Staten Island, NY auto repair shop, had fled a US court trial on drug smuggling charges in the spring of 1981. The trio chartered a fishing boat in a southeast Italy village and were transported across the Adriatic Sea by the boat's skipper. Mustafa was killed by Albanian security forces on the beach near Fier where they landed from their chartered boat, as was Hazndari. The New Zealander was captured, tried and imprisoned for several years before being freed and deported to Auckland and his family. Prince Leka Zogu, pretender to the long-abolished Albanian throne, at first claimed a link to the strange events, but soon denied being involved.
The second time, a few years later, that Unit 326 intervened against a common criminal who was barricaded in a house in Shkodër
Shkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
.
With the fall of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, and the apparent inability of the authorities to enforce law and order, the Unit began recruiting many conscripted soldiers in an effort to maintain an all-around capability to deal with the growing demand in law enforcement initiatives. At this time the only mandated duties were anti-riot. It was at this time (1991) when the unit registered its first fallen operative – a 21 year old killed in cold blood by a band of criminals.
In January 1991, under pressure from the international community as well as Albanian public opinion, a general amnesty was declared for the political prisoners languishing in communist jails and work-camps. When common criminals, serving their sentences in the same jails, understood that the amnesty left them out, rioted. In the Shenkoll (trans:Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
) penitentiary
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
the riots were particularly violent were dozens of prisoners took hostage several guardians. The Unit was called into action and managed to bring about a solution to the crisis by using only tear-gas and plastic bullets, avoiding in the process any fatalities.
Transformation
With the change of regime, the new democratic government began an anti-communist crusade by dismissing many individuals – investigators, attorneys, and police officers – deemed compromised by association with the old regime. Organized crimeOrganized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
, domestic and foreign, took advantage of the ensuing law and order vacuum and began spreading illegal activities in the country. With the deterioration of the situation, it became impossible for the unit to serve under a dual role – anti riot and CT hostage rescue – and for this reason in November 1991, following a strict and rigid selection, approximately eighty out of six-hundred of its members formed RENEA
RENEA
The Reparti i Neutralizimit të Elementit të Armatosur , commonly known by its acronym RENEA, is the main Albanian counter-terrorist and critical incident response unit. The force was constituted the early 1990s in response to the growing crime levels in the country after the fall of communism...
. The rest of the unit was folded into other elite units, such as Forcat e Nderhyrjes se Shpejte FNSh (Rapid Intervention Forces), organized according to the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
CRS
CRS
-Science and technology:* Cambridge Reference Sequence, used in mitochondrial DNA testing* Canada Remote Systems, a now-defunct bulletin board system based in Toronto* Carrier Routing System, a large-scale core router...
(Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité
Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité
The Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité are the riot control forces and general reserve of the French National Police. The CRS were created on 8 December 1944 and the first units were organised by 31 January 1945. The CRS were reorganized in 1948...
), and U.S. SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
. FNSH maintain a presence in 12 prefectures of the country.