Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando
The Fuerza Especial de Reacción ("Special Reaction Force") or FER, previously known as GAFES del Alto Mando or Fuerza Especial del Alto Mando ("High Command Special Force") is a Mexican Army's Special operations force. Their status comes mostly from their higher level training pedigree in unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, special reconnaissance, direct action, counter narcotics, clandestine operations, among other courses, than the "regular" Mexican Army Special Forces Corps. The nature of the unit makes it similar to that of other international special mission units such as US Delta Force, Israeli Sayeret Matkal, UK SAS , among others. Public knowledge about its size and operations are classified, however it's known that their operators come from the Mexican Army Special Forces Corps. Their operators need to be a C.O.F.E. or a C.S.F.E, to have taken courses aboard, accredit physical and psychological tests, aside from that, the only way to be part of the unit is by a special invitation. They have access to the best gear the Mexican Army can afford along with access to Mexico's top-of-the-line armored cars and assets. FER usually trains alongside US Army 7th Special Forces Group and  in modern days, they mostly focus on Mexico's War on Drugs, performing direct action and special reconnaissance missions against the countries cartels. The FER is one of four highly specialized elite groups within the SEDENA Special Forces Corps, as well as the only one of these four units whose existence is officially known to the public. Known operations. Their first major engagements took place during the Zapatista uprising in the well known "Operación Arcoiris" ("Operation Rainbow)", where they employed counter insurgency tactics against the EZLN socialist guerrilla group, infiltrating and eliminating enemy targets in the jungle terrain of the  southern state of Chiapas. One of the very first times its operators were seen in public was hours after the successful capture of Osiel Cárdenas Guillén as they arrived in Mexico City in 2003, during which they killed some of the elite personal security team of the drug lord; as the top leader of the Gulf Cartel at the time, Osiel was one of the most wanted men in Mexico and the United States They were also responsible for hunting down almost all of the first generation of "Los Zetas”, (ex-GAFEs that deserted from the Mexican army to become  security for the Gulf Cartel until they splintered to form their own organization) since they knew how they operated and how to counter them, it is mentioned that they located and then gunned down the first leader and co-founder of Los Zetas, Arturo Guzman Decena in the border city of Matamoros in 2002. These operations at the time, allowed the FER to enter into a very small list of special forces that had fought against other special forces (since the original Zetas were ex-GAFE). Another known mission carried out by the FER was the capture of drug cartel  leader Javier Torres Félix aka El J.T. in Culiacán, Sinaloa, January 27 of 2004. The commandos left Mexico City for Culiacán at 9:00 a.m. and returned with Félix at 6:00 p.m. that same day. Commanders had scheduled the arrest for another day but the Secretary told reporters that immediate capture was necessary. One of Félix's hitmen had killed a soldier from the Third military region while the soldier was on patrol at the outskirts of the town of El Tule. They carried out the capture of the second in command of the powerful Beltrán Leyva Cartel, Alfredo Beltrán Leyva  aka. "El Mochomo, in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, year 2008. The FER was in charge of the raid that ended up with the assassination of one of the most famous Sinaloa Cartel leaders, Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, the operation took place in the luxury suburb of Zapopan, Jalisco during the year 2010. The unit experienced its darkest day in 2015, during the failed Operation "Jalisco" in which an unsuccessful attempt was made to capture the supreme leader of the CJNG, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka "El Mencho"; In the course of the operation, a FAM EC725 Super Cougar helicopter that was transporting multiple  FER operators was allegedly shot down by a russian RPG rocket launcher, fired by El Mencho's elite security group (composed by former special forces of various countries), who managed to escape in the midst of the chaos of the situation; in this event, all FER operators who were onboard in the helicopter died. At their funeral, the Mexican high command, the Secretaries of National Defense and the Navy, as well as the President of Mexico (at the time), Enrique Peña Nieto, could be seen attending the ceremony. In the same year of 2015, through detailed month surveillance they successfully  located and captured the highly violent Los Zetas cartel leader, Omar Treviño Morales, in a luxury neighborhood in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León. One of their most recent operations occurred on August 2, 2020, in which José Antonio Yépez Ortiz (El Marro), main leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL), was captured. Footage from the Federal AIC GEO and Guanajuato's own AIC state agents involved in the capture showcase alleged FER members in the operation. They have been involved non-stop in many other captures and assassinations of cartel leaders, performing many clandestine operations and it 's rumored that they have even operated in foreign soil in the Central American region where they have hunted down Zetas leaders in the past.