JAMAM

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JAMAM coat of arms

The JAMAM ( Hebrew ימ"מ) is a paramilitary special unit of the Israeli border police Magav with the focus on the fight against terrorism . The name is a Hebrew acronym of the words Special Police Unit ( Hebrew יחידה משטרתית מיוחדת Jechida Mischtartit Mejuchedet ).

assignment

JAMAM on a mission

The mission profile of JAMAM primarily comprises the fight against terrorism and hostage rescue , but also direct combat operations as well as personal protection and undercover operations . It is the primary unit for this area of ​​responsibility in the Israeli interior and is usually limited to this area of ​​operation. Still, it does not infrequently happens that it is used (unofficially) in the near-border area of Israel, but only in coordination with the Israeli Defense Force ( IDF , Israel Defense Forces ).

organization

JAMAM unit when arrested in 2006

The JAMAM is officially called the Special Police Unit (יחידת משטרה מיוחדת), the name Unit for Counter-Terror (היחידה ללוחמה בטרור) is also common colloquially. It is one of four special units of the Israeli border police; the other three are JAMAS (anti-terror undercover unit), JAMAG (tactical crime- fighting and rapid reaction force) and MATILAN (intelligence infiltration and defense unit). It is subordinate to the central command of the MAGAV and is a regular police unit . The tactical division consists of squads (groups) whose staffing levels can vary depending on the assignment. The exact number is subject to secrecy but is estimated by alumni at around 200 men.

Tactically, it is divided into so-called squads , which are subdivided according to special skills:

  • Sniper group (sniping)
  • Attack group (entry)
  • Climbing group (rappelling & climbing)
  • Explosive expert group (Demolition and Bomb Disposal)
  • Dog handler group (dog)

Parts of the JAMAM are in constant combat readiness and in the event of an alarm the other parts of the unit can also be mobilized very quickly and relocated across the country (rapid deployment) . Since most of the unit's interests are subject to confidentiality, it is not uncommon for its operations and also its staff to be officially assigned and assigned to other associations. Nevertheless, it is well known to the Israeli public and has an excellent reputation in the special forces community.

Recruitment and training

The JAMAM , although a unit of the border police, has its own selection and training process. Its members are experienced police officers when they join and generally have relevant military experience and training from their military service or previous service in the armed forces (IDF) .

The training includes, among other things, the following areas:

equipment

TAR-21 assault rifle

The unit uses Glock-17 and Glock-19 self-loading pistols, Tavor TAR-21 assault rifles , Micro Uzi and Micro Para Uzi submachine guns , IMI Galil Galat'z , Mauser 86SR , M24 and Steyr SSG 69 and sniper rifles Shotguns of the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 types .

history

Lineup

The JAMAM was set up in 1974 after the unsuccessful hostage rescue operation during the Maalot massacre .

On May 15, 1974, a school in Maalot was occupied by a terrorist group from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine . 100 students were held hostage. The group used booby traps to secure the building against an assault. The special unit Sajeret Matkal of the Israeli Army Intelligence Service Aman was called to rescue the hostages. The operation failed because a sniper seriously injured one of the terrorists instead of killing him. So the booby traps could be detonated during the following firefight. 22 students lost their lives in this unsuccessful operation and more than 60 were injured. The evaluation of the operation revealed that terrorists can also succeed in carrying out such attacks on Israeli territory and that they act as suicide bombers, i.e. operate independently of any possibility of retreat. That was completely new at the time and required both the establishment of an appropriately trained special unit for domestic deployment with police powers as well as new deployment and negotiation concepts.

The JAMAM was set up in response to the Maalot massacre .

In service from 1974 to September 2000

In March 1988 the unit was alerted when a bus full of women was abducted near Dimona on their way back from the Negev Nuclear Research Center . The case came to be known as the Mothers Bus . During the successful liberation operation, the three kidnappers and three of the hostages were killed.

In March 2000, JAMAM and the IDF Sajeret captured a terrorist group in Tayyibe .

Missions since the Al-Aqsa Intifada in October 2000

The yamam has in recent years since the Al-Aqsa Intifada conducted numerous paramilitary operations, most of which are still classified information are. However, some have become public knowledge:

On April 7, 2002, a joint operation by the Shin Bet , IDF and JAMAM resulted in the neutralization of Hamas member Case Aduwan , who was held responsible for planning the Passover massacre in Netanya . During the operation, in which Aduwan and four other terrorists barricaded themselves in a house , a JAMAM sniper managed to fatally wound two of the terrorists. IDF soldiers found and defused a prepared car bomb during the operation. The action ended fatally for Hamas members after a twelve-hour firefight when an armored Caterpillar D9 of the armed forces drove into the house and completely destroyed it.

In the same year, JAMAM and Sajeret Matkal succeeded in freeing the taxi driver Eliyaho Goral , who had been kidnapped by Palestinian militants.

Hebron

In June 2003, the unit killed targeted the Hamas boss Abdullah Qawasmeh in Hebron .

On December 3, 2003, JAMAM reported the capture of a terrorist group hiding in the city of Tayibe and the timely foiling of a planned Palestinian attack on a school in Jokne'am .

The assassin Sirhan Sirhan, who murdered a mother and her two daughters in Kibbutz Metzer, was liquidated in another operation .

In Bethlehem , an attempt by a terrorist group from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades to commit a suicide bombing in the bunker of a mental hospital during the Israeli Passover was foiled .

In July 2004, JAMAM forces killed six members of the Tanzim , a splinter faction of the al-Fatah terrorist group, including the local leader and liaison with the Shiite Hezbollah in Tulkarem .

In November 2004, three of the terrorists were killed in a firefight between JAMAM and members of Al-Fatah , including Mohammed Rassan Sheikh , who headed the muqataa for Yasser Arafat for years .

management

Web links

Commons : YAMAM  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • JAMAM at specwarnet.net (English)

See also

Other hostage rescue units: