Special Forces and Special Faeces: The boundary-line has been drawn

US Navy Seals

With the rescue of two westerners by American special forces from the jaws of Somali bandits, kidnapping ring, opportunistic criminals or whatever it is they were, security analysts began to express their discomfiture even decrying what was rapidly becoming Obama's favoured talismanic strategy. High risk, high gain special forces missions. Many of these dangerous missions have not been as high profile as the one in Somalia or the even bigger one that snuffed out Osama bin Laden. But with the winding down of operations in Afghanistan and the scaling down of troop numbers these elite units (alongside drones) have been increasingly been put on the mill.

Two notable things happened after each of these missions. First, most of the Navy SEALS officers that took part in the mission against Osama bin Laden died a month later -- this while they were returning from another high risk mission. Secondly, 48 hours after the two aid workers were rescued from Somalia, a nosy American hack was kidnapped in the very same area the two aid workers were rescued from. Even in lawless Somalia, one doesn't need to stretch far to find some crazy, ardent westerner with a prettily packaged death wish. The kidnappers of this pseudo-intelligent American journalist made it very clear that the first thing they will do is shoot him in the head if the wind even blows the wrong way.

These glaring caveats to the risks, efficacy and even desirability of such missions did not deter this week one David Cameron (British Prime Minister) from embarking on the adventurous route of hostage rescues (deep in hostile ground) and special forces missions. The Libyan escapade had whetted his appetite for such things, as it is the British Prime Minister who had to ultimately make the decision to send British military personnel -- ostensibly as military advisors -- into the Libyan fray.

The pay off has been so-so, nothing concrete as yet, mainly because the aftermath of the Western intervention has left Libya a filthy mess that is still over-run by armed tribal touts and regionalist goons. Anyway Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron made much ado about the success in 'Libya's emancipation' and many in their respective countries may still be thus deluded.

But my oh my hasn't David Cameron found out the hard way why these missions are to be reserved for the devil's stead. The shit has literally hit the fan --   most of it coming right back and leaving the Right Honourable Prime Minister's face full of it.

Now it so happened that fate had conveniently made (through an alluring coincidence?)  necessary a British special forces mission, one that mirrored in certain respects the American rescue operation in Somalia. Two hostages -- one British one Italian -- had been kidnapped by some unsavoury bunch in Nigeria. In the American special forces mission in Somalia there were also two hostages, one an American woman the other an elderly European man -- German I believe.

With his waning popularity at home due to his embarrassing isolation and his resounding thwart by Sarkozy at a Euro crisis meeting a few weeks earlier, good old Dave can be said to have been in need, or indeed charmed by envy for the talismanic effect of the special forces missions on Obamas ratings. 

So David Cameron with his equally desperate Nigerian colleague, the one with the brutally misleading name of Goodluck Jonathan and aided with others, concocted a joint Britto-Nigerian commando mission to rescue the white hostages from their black abductors. It was a black and white affair. With the popularity pay-off nothing had ever seemed as clear as the gains of this mission; easy pickings for a daring adventurer.

The location of the hostages having been determined, the mission plans were speedily actuated. The Italians on their part were only informed while the mission had already gotten underway with no way of stopping it -- the reason given is that they did not want the Nigerian hostage-takers to get wind of the commando mission. A mission mind you that incorporated Nigerian soldiers. Why would the Nigerians be a better bet than the Italians in mantaining the mission's operational integrity? This while there was no Nigerian hostage and given that the abductors were themselves Nigerian? You know and I know there was absolutely no such reason. The Brits (i.e. Cameron) didn't want to share the praise and dubious credit of violating barbarians with another first world country/figure.

The Chinese Special Forces, always an imaginative lot. Perhaps the Nigerians (and Africa) should outsource their commando services to China?

So a couple of short hours after the fuming Italians were first informed of the commando raid, Cameron called Mario Ponti -- the Italian Prime Minister. The two hostages (one of whom being Italian) had unfortunately been shot very dead during the rescue mission. It hasn't helped matters that an inside source in Nigeria started confessing that it was probably the Nigerian rescuers who had tagged along with the British who shot them. It was too dark for the Nigerian commandos, it is said, quite apart from the fact it is standard practice for the Nigerian forces to shower the supposed location of such villains with gunfire (for an hour or so) and then to rescue whatever is left to be rescued.

Ever since the Italian media and political class have been up in arms over the 'humiliation' of the Italian government in not being informed before-hand of the impending mission (what of the dead Italian victim?) . But more closer to the truth the chance for Italians to bungle that perilous mission themselves. Who would want to pass a chance in mowing down with lethal gunfire pretentious African savages?The unlucky Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan was even given an earful by Mario Ponti via a phone call, a diplomatic protest I think they call it. David Cameron has taken of late a scarlet hue, eulogizing the situation with his heart felt apologies on one hand and justifying the imperceptible reasons for his tragic decision on the other. Has the lustre of unnecessary special forces missions finally worn off?

M. Wycliff,
Nairobi.

link:
guardian.co.uk