17.919 - 2004.01.14
Handout: Important historical counter-terrorist operations




Most successful hostage rescues


1972 Ben-Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv: Israeli commandos storm a hijacked Belgian Sabena jet; one passenger, five commandos and two terrorists KIA.
1976 Entebbe, Uganda: Israeli paratroops kill 7 PFLP terrorists, destroy 11 MiGs and rescue hostages.
1977 Assen, Holland: Dutch special forces kill 6 Southern Moluccan terrorists (and 2 hostages) who had taken a train hostage.
1978 Mogadishu, Somalia: German GSG-9 commandos kill 3 PFLP terrorists and liberate hostages taken during a Luftansa flight.
1980 London: British SAS kill anti-Khomeini terrorists who seized the Iranian Embassy, London.
1981 Paris: French Brigade anti-commando (BAC) frees Turkish consulate in Paris from Armenian terrorists.
1994 Marseilles: French GIGN exterminates GIA (Algerian) terrorists who had hijacked an Air France Airbus.
1996-97 Lima, Peru: Peruvian special forces save 400 hostages taken at a Japanese Embassy reception.




Failed hostage rescues


1972 Munich: German police fail to kill Black September terrorists before the latter kill all Israeli athletes.
1974 Qiryat Shemona settlement, Israel: PFLP GC terrorists detonate explosives when Israeli commandos attempt hostage rescue; 18 Israelis killed.
1974 Ma�alot, Israel: Israeli troops storm dormitory where PFLP terrorists held children hostage; terrorists machine gun hostages, killing 27 and wounding 70.
1980 Iran: US plan to save hostages in Tehran, entitled �Desert One,� collapses because of bad planning and an airplane crash.
1985 Malta: Egyptian commandos attempt to free hostages of an Egypt-Air flight between Athens and Cairo; 59 hostages killed and 29 wounded as a result of the botched raid.
2003 Moscow: Attempt to free 300+ hostages at a Moscow opera house backfires when sleeping gas kills many hostages in addition to Chechen terrorists.


Home
Marc DeVore
John David Payne
Course syllabus
Handouts
Links

This page was last updated on Tuesday, January 20, 2004. All text and images copyright � 2004 Marc DeVore and John David Payne except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Please contact the webmaster with any comments, problems, or suggestions. Thanks!

1