GIGN Anti-Terror Force [PC][MULTI]
Mathilda Gibby
Gendarmes specialised in anti-drone policing will make up the bulk of the force, which will also include bomb-disposal experts, sniffer dogs, members of the elite GIGN anti-terror unit and a dozen police officers specialised in tackling football hooliganism.
Two ministry of justice officials and a member of the diplomatic community working in the justice sector identified several reasons why investigations within the anti-terrorism cell were moving slowly. First, was the complicated nature of the crimes which often involve international jurisdictions and occur in inaccessible and dangerous places. Second, was the insufficient level of detail contained in the suspect files they receive from the arresting law enforcement personnel (notably in the Sahel region) which significantly increases the investigative burden of the Bamako-based cell. Third was the dynamic of mass arrests by the army on the basis of limited suspicion, which significantly increased the workload of the Ouagadougou judicial authorities. Fourth was the urgent need for more personnel working within the cell, which at present only has two dedicated investigative judges. And Fifth, was the slow response to judicial inquiries relevant to their investigations on the part of regional governments.[98]
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta commonly referred to as Delta Force, is a member of the JSOC and is America's primary anti-terrorism force. Main tasks include peacekeeping, raids, counter-terrorism, and hostage rescue. Global terrorist attacks motivated the United States to form Delta Force.
In October 2017, the French Parliament voted to advance a new counterterrorism bill that would transfer certain emergency security measures that are only permitted under a state of emergency into permanent law. These measures include allowing police to conduct house raids without a warrant and to set up checkpoints at will. The law also calls for the creation of a new anti-terrorism task force partially modeled after the U.S. Joint Terrorism Task Force. The new task force is expected to coordinate domestic and foreign intelligence agencies. The new anti-terrorism law went into effect on November 1, 2017. France simultaneously lifted the two-year state of emergency that had been in place since the November 2015 Paris attacks. (Sources: New York Times, Al Jazeera, Politico, NPR)
As of April 2020, France had dispatched around 7,400 military personnel for operations throughout the world. Of these, 5,100 military personnel were sent to the Sahel region in Africa for Opération Barkhane, a counterterrorism effort headquartered in Chad and launched in July 2014. Opération Barkhane was temporarily suspended on June 3, 2021. On June 10, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would reduce its troops within the next few months. The following month, Macron announced France would end Opération Barkhane by early 2022 and instead focus on bolstering the international Takuba Task Force in Western Africa. However, on July 6, 2021, France resumed joint military operations and national advisory missions with Mali given increasing jihadist attacks in the country. As of February 2022, 2,500 French soldiers remain in Mali. On February 17, 2022, France and its allies in the Takuba Task Force, announced that they will shift their anti-terrorism campaign in the Sahel towards Niger and the Gulf of Guinea. Around 150 military personnel are engaged in counterterrorism efforts in the Central African Republic. France has also dispatched 250 military personnel to the Gulf of Guinea, while 1,000 French military personnel are engaged in Iraq and 700 are engaged in Lebanon. When coalition forces evacuated Afghanistan, 150 French military personnel were among them. Less than 200 military personnel have been deployed to the Indian Ocean. (Sources: Le Ministère de la Défense, U.S. Department of State, France 24, France 24, Reuters, Euronews, Voice of America, Financial Times)