71st Special Battalion

71st Special Battalion or 71st Counter Terrorism Battalion or as known today Special Unit II is a Jordanian Special Forces battalion that specializes in combating terrorism.

71st Special Battalion (Jordan) / Special Unit II
الكتيبة الخاصة 71 (الأردن) / الوحدة الخاصة 2
Emblem of the 71st Special Battalion
Active1973 – present
Country Jordan
BranchJordanian Armed Forces
TypeSpecial forces
SizeBattalion
Commanders
Current
commander		unknown

Operations
71st Special Battalion members during a demonstration at Special Operations Forces Exhibition.

The battalion is thought to have participated in several operations.[1]

In 1977, they participated in ending a hotel siege in Amman.[2]

In 2006, following 2005 Amman Bombings, the battalion collaborated with the Jordanian intelligence agents in several operations which included the capture of Ziad Khalaf Raja al-Karbouly in Iraq.[3]

In 2013, Crown prince Hussein participated in a training session with the 71st battalion members.[4]

On 22 June 2014, responding to the threat of ISIS which captured the Iraqi city of Ar Rutba not far from the Jordanian border, the unit was dispatched to the area.[5]

On 1 March 2016, the unit clashed with extremist militias in the city of Irbid in northern Jordan as part of the General Intelligence Directorate attempt to foil a terrorist plot against military and civilian targets in Jordan by ISIS affiliates.[6]

The battalion was dispatched to the Kerak Castle, during the events of the 2016 Al-Karak attack.[7]

References
  1. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Jordan: The Special Forces or Special Operations of the Jordanian Armed Forces". Refworld. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  2. Bennett, R M (2011). Elite Forces. Virgin Books. ISBN 9780753547649. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  3. "Jordan faces growing Salafist-jihadist threat - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  4. "تدريبات الامير الحسين بن عبدالله الثاني ولي العهد مع الكتيبة الخاصة ٧١". YouTube. 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  5. Schenker, David (July 13, 2014). "Countering the ISIS Threat to Jordan". WINEP.
  6. "King attends funeral of fallen officer as Jordanians hail success of anti-terror operation". 3 March 2016.
  7. "Canadian killed in shootout at Jordanian castle, other tourists held hostage". Reuters. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
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