SEAL Team 6: 5 Key Facts (VIDEO)
Team 6 became front page news following the May 2 raid at Osama bin Laden’s compound. Here, US soldiers from 703rd EOD Company, 2nd Platoon, Team 6, return with their armored vehicles following a controlled detonation of munitions outside Camp Clark in Mandozai district, Khost province, eastern Afghanistan on July 4, 2011.
The US Navy's SEAL Team 6, the elite force that carried out yesterday's raid to free two hostages in Somalia, has become front page news once again.
The "all black" Tier-One counter-terrorism force is the same unit that carried out the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abottabad, Pakistan.
Here's five things you should know about SEAL Team 6:
1. SEAL Team 6 was created in response to the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter ordered a rescue mission by the Army's Delta force. The mission was a failure, so Carter asked the armed forces to create a counter-terrorism team that would operate outside military law, the IBTimes reported.
2. The name itself was an attempt to confuse Soviet Intelligence. There were only two other Navy SEAL teams, but the US wanted to keep spies in the dark about how many teams were operating.
3. According to Business Insider, SEAL Team 6 operates outside military protocol. This allows them to engage in operations at the highest level of classification and often outside the boundaries of international law. This begs the question- how much control does President Obama, the Commander in Chief, have over them? IBT Times reported that according to Dr. Howard E. Wasdin, a former sniper for Team 6, "On every op we go on, determining who dies and who doesn't is something called justifiable use of deadly force," he said. "[That code] is why I wasn't allowed to shoot Osman Ali Atto and Mohamed Farrah Adid when we were trying to capture them in Mogadishu, Somalia."
4. SEAL Team 6 poaches its members from other SEAL units. The members of Team 6 have not been disclosed to the public. The CIA recruits from Team 6 heavily and the team works closely with the CIA on missions.
5. Technically, there is no Team 6. When Robert Johnson, the military, defense, and features reporter for the main page of Business Insider, called a former Navy SEAL for comment, the SEAL responded: "You know I'd love to help you man, but I can't say a word about Team 6. There is no Team 6."
More from GlobalPost: Somalia hostages Jessica Buchanan, Poul Thisted freed by Navy SEALs
Here's a video on the backstory of SEAL Team 6:
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?