Special Forces of Zimbabwe
Special Forces of Zimbabwe are the units of the Zimbabwe National Army that operate as special forces. These forces have been deployed in several African conflicts, including the Mozambique Civil War and the Second Congo War. Antecedents. In 1980 Prime Minister Robert Mugabe declared integration of Rhodesian Army, which at independence was the existing army, with the two guerilla armies: Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA). This meant Rhodesian Special forces were quickly disbanded and refounded. The Selous Scouts were disbanded and became the 1 Parachute Regiment. 1 Commando  Brigade was created based on the Rhodesian Light Infantry and Rhodesian African Rifles. British advisors refounded the Special Air Service. Special Forces selection and training were taken from the ones used by Rhodesian army Special forces. The first operation of the new Special Forces lasted from December 5 to 9 in 1984. Operation Lemon comprised elements of 3 Brigade, the Parachute Group and Special Air Service. Special Forces were deployed to Mozambique to protect the Beira Corridor railway link between Zimbabwe and the port of Beira. Composition. According to "Jane's Special Forces Recognition Guide", Special Forces in the Zimbabwe  National Army include: During the DRC second war, the SAS and commando regiment are forever honored from their professional performance as the greatest ever special forces to ever operate on African soil and for that type of warfare. Others argue even equal and better than US or UK special forces given their failures in the 1990s Mogadishu campaign in Somalia. conjunction with the commandos. Operations. Angola. Some sources claim Zimbabwean commandos led the final assault on UNITA leading to the eventual killing of Jonas Savimbi. Zimbabwe sent 2,000 troops to help the Angola government end the war. Mozambique. Special Forces  launched several search and destroy operations against RENAMO guerrillas. Congo. Zimbabwean commandos led by Captain Chrispen Nyachiwowo defended Kinshasa at the last minute when it was on the brink of falling to rebels and invading Ugandan and Rwandan army units. On this last-minute defense of Kinshasa, nothing but professionalism and history was made, registering Zimbabwean commandos to arguably be amongst the world's best as only 24 men from diamond squadron were used for the 24-hour special mission with 20 returning alive reporting mission complete. The mission was very tough as the enemy was just left with but  a few hours to declare DRC a colony, Kinshasa being surrounded and overrun by armed rebels until the Zim commandos arrived in enviable style around 12 noon and the following day around 12 noon after heavy fighting and successfully repelling the enemy sabed DRC. Nothing but tactical superiority and better trained special men rendered the mission a success. The names of these deadly commandos are engraved on a roll of honor at the commando barracks in exemplary remembrance to the High standards and excellence demanded of those qualified to wear the tartan green beret and dagger. Due to the river  networks in the DRC, the Boat Squadron saw extensive use during the course of Zimbabwe's involvement. In August 1998, the ZDF had one SAS squadron supporting a battalion of paratroopers defending N’Djili from a Rwandan offensive. The Parachute Regiment suffered a heavy blow when 15 soldiers and their CASA 212 were captured after landing on an airstrip already controlled by the invading forces. It is believed the DRC government army unit they were supposed to join had defected to the rebels. Zimbabwean SAS ambushed a column of rebel Type-59 tanks close to Kinshasa, knocking out the lead tank and  creating panic in the rest of crews that abandoned their tanks and ran away. When the rebels attacked the airport, Zimbabwean SAS and paratroopers remained in possession of the military side of the airport plus the control tower and eventually defeated the offensive. The battle of Kinshasa was won by the Air force of Zimbabwe, which operated from the section of the airport controlled by ZDF troops. It played a crucial role in the securing of Kinshasa as the ZNA could not move since the rebels were all over the place. It was the jets of 5 squadron, which played  a crucial role together with helicopter squadrons of the AFZ who managed to neutralise the rebels by destroying their tanks and heavy artillery. The AFZ gained much respect as they demonstrated expertise and professionalism throughout the entire war. It was the Zimbabwean airmen who secured the Matadi corridor, Bukavu and the Inga dam with the support of the Zim commandos, SAS, Paras and Amphibious sqn. For more on past operations please see the Zimbabwe National Army page.