What would you do if you were taken captive after you lent a hand to benefit other people? This is the story of Mark Frerichs: an abducted American pleading for his release as a victim of decades-long insurgency operations crewed by terrorist organizations. He is entering his second year of confinement by the Taliban– and he is now pleading for his freedom. Frerichs, 60, a … [Read more...] about The 30-Second Plea: Mark Frerichs is an American held Hostage in Afghanistan
Following continued attacks on residential blocks, hospitals, journalists, and evacuees, patients and staff at the largest hospital in the city of Mariupol in Southern Ukraine have been taken hostage by Russian forces, according to Mariupol Deputy Mayor Sergei Orlov. "The biggest hospital in the 17th district of our cities is captured by Russian troops, and the Russian army … [Read more...] about Russian Troops Occupy Mariupol Hospital, Staff And Patients Said To Be Held Hostage
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) special forces troops conducted a large operation targeting ISIS operatives, but the Syrian state media news outlet SANA claimed that American and Kurdish troops fired indiscriminately at civilians, killing four members of a single-family while taking hostages during a “large airborne operation” near Deir al-Zor on Monday. The SDF claimed to … [Read more...] about Syrian State Media: US-Led Troops Took Hostages During ‘Large Airborne Operation’
In the early 1980s, when most Americans didn't even know about the highly secretive Delta Force, the elite counterterrorism unit participated in its first hostage-rescue operation — although indirectly. When a group of self-described "rebels" captured two American missionaries and three other Westerners in Sudan, Delta Force deployed. Despite having been trained for … [Read more...] about Why Delta Force Operators Were on the Sidelines During Their First Successful Hostage-Rescue Mission
An infamous and powerful Haitian gang, known as the 400 Mawozo, is believed to be responsible for the Sunday abduction of 17 missionaries of the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries. The victims, 16 Americans, and one Canadian include five children. One of the children is only two years old. The missionaries were abducted in the town of Ganthier east of the Haitian capital of … [Read more...] about The Haitian Gang That Kidnapped 16 Americans Is Expected to Demand $1 Million Ransom for Each Hostage
French Marines were manning observation posts on either side of the Vrbanja Bridge. They were UN peacekeepers, the first to arrive in the decimated city of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War in May 1995. But their day was to begin in humiliation and end in bloodshed as their mission to hold the observation posts quickly escalated into the first UN combat mission of the … [Read more...] about French Marines Ended a Hostage Crisis With a Bayonet Charge
While the United States was celebrating its 100th birthday on July 4, 1976, four Israeli C-130 cargo planes landed at Entebbe Airport in Uganda, cargo bay doors already open. A black Mercedes and a parade of Land Rovers screamed out of two of the planes, headed for the old passenger terminal. Armored personnel carriers exited the other three. There were 106 mostly Israeli … [Read more...] about Why Americans Are Twice as Likely to Die in Hostage Situations
On July 4, 1976, while the United States was celebrating its bicentennial, a small group of Israeli Special Operations troops was carrying out one of the most brilliant hostage rescue operations in history. Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu — the brother of the incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — was the Commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal … [Read more...] about Exclusive: The True Story of the Hostage Rescue at Entebbe
In a dramatic turn of events, it was revealed that the United States sent Kash Patel, deputy assistant to President Trump and the top White House counterterrorism official, to talk to the Syrian government regarding the release of two Americans being held by the Syrians. It is not known currently with whom Patel met. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the … [Read more...] about US Sent Envoy to Syria to Seek Hostage Release Prior to Election
Two Americans, Sandra Loli and Mikael Gidada, who had been held in Yemen by Iranian-backed rebels, are being released, Kash Patel, the White House’s National Security Council’s senior counterterrorism director, announced. In return, Washington facilitated the release of 240 Houthi rebels who had been stranded and held in Oman. Loli, a humanitarian worker, had been held … [Read more...] about Two US Hostages Freed from Iranian-backed Houthi Rebels in Yemen
Paraguay’s President Mario Abdo Benítez hailed a raid, conducted on September 2 on a guerrilla camp, as a successful operation that killed two militants. But now, he and the government are under fire since the two casualties, initially labeled as guerrillas of the Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP), were revealed to actually be two young Argentinian girls, aged 11 and 12. The girls … [Read more...] about Former Paraguay VP Taken Hostage, After Raid on Guerrilla Camp
You can read part I here and part II here. The men of Det A were highly trained professionals, ready to carry out what would most likely be a suicide mission in the opening hours of World War Three. With targeting packets completed, covers established, and extraction plans committed to memory, they were prepared to conduct their sabotage missions. Methods of sabotage … [Read more...] about Special Forces Detachment A: Counterterrorism & hostage rescue operations
