1.0 Introduction
The El-Sa’ka (“Thunderbolt”) Egyptian Special Forces are an elite unit of the Egyptian army. They stand as a symbol of sacrifice, redemption, and glory within the nation’s military landscape. Moreover, they train for operations in land, sea, and air.
Rooted in a rich history dating back to the era of King Ramses II, these elite forces have evolved to become a formidable entity in modern warfare. Furthermore, from their inception under the leadership of Lieutenant General Jalal Haridi in 1956 to their pivotal roles in historic conflicts such as the October War, the El-Sa’ka Special Forces have exemplified bravery, resilience, and unwavering dedication to the defence of Egypt. [Source]
2.0 Motto, Emblem, and Badge
2.1 Motto
Sacrifice, Redemption, Glory
Their motto, “In peacetime, sweat in training replaces blood in battle,” makes sense in light of this [source].
2.2 Badge
Emblem of El-Sa’ka
El-Sa’ka badge ( Special forces- El-Sa’ka written in Arabic)
3.0 History
The El-Sa’ka Squad got its name when King Ramesses II established the El-Sa’ka, a private guard unit assigned to conduct attacks and reconnaissance. Additionally, the name “El-Sa’ka” was selected from the Holy Qur’an. Moreover, the flag of the units was inspired by the banner of Prophet Mohamed, consisting of two colours, yellow and black. Furthermore, Lieutenant General Jalal Haridi established the modern El-Sa’ka Division in the Armed Forces in 1956. Haridi participated in conflicts, including leading an operation in Syria during its secession attempt in 1961 and engaging in fighting in Jordan and Israel with his El-Sa’ka forces during the 1967 War. Lastly, he was also involved in an internal power struggle, marked by a shooting incident that resulted in his injury, along with three others. [source]
4.0 Organisation
4.1 Requirements:
- Desire to join
- High physical fitness
- Conducting a personal interview in one of the committees to learn about the candidate’s personality and culture
4.2 Training:
On Thursday, February 8, 2024, Lieutenant General Osama Askar, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, inspected a number of modern training systems led by the El-Sa’ka Forces. [source]
4.2.1 Setup
The officers that the school determines are suitable to take the band are chosen from the officers of the parachute units, the El-Sa’ka units, and the Marine Special Units Brigade. Initially, the band is led by the El-Sa’ka units at the El-Sa’ka School in Anshas. Subsequently, the band (torrent) lasts for 34 uninterrupted weeks. Additionally, in order to guarantee each person’s medical safety, medical examinations are also conducted on them. Below is the typical distribution of the training plan:
4.2.2 Part One
Part one is a four-week course that teaches people how to adjust to the lifestyle of a special operator. It demands a significant amount of work from the trainee and equips them to handle challenges in the theatre of operations.
4.2.3 Part Two
Part two teaches key skills over the course of two weeks, including: :
- military swimming
- underwater rescue
- maritime emergencies
- first aid.
4.2.4 Part Three
Part three is a seven-week cross-country run that takes place across distances of over thirty kilometres during the day and at night in brief bursts.
4.2.5 Part Four
(A) Part four initially teaches both offensive and defensive diving using a closed-circuit oxygen cylinder over the course of two weeks (diving kit for special units). They then receive training on defending themselves underwater and how to retrieve and rescue people in the event that an underwater mission fails.
(b) The second part is shooting week, which entails training both during the day and at night and the use of various kinds of weapons.
4.2.6 Fifth part
That’s the section about skydiving. The student performs free jumps, tactical jumps, and field clearing leaps both on land during the day and at night. Trainees jump five kilometres from the shore, then swim back to the beach.
4.2.7 Part Six
During a two-week period, lecturers rigorously instruct the trainees. Consequently, those who truly aspire to become guerrillas, or vice versa, emerge during this time, while those unable to endure it face harsh reprimands known as “violent bullying,” a term exclusive to the military. Following this, a week of training to overcome hurdles and impediments ensues. Subsequently, trainees practice assaulting coastal objectives as well as open and closed naval targets both inside and outside the enemy port, utilizing open-circuit and closed-circuit oxygen cylinders. [Source]
4.2.8 Hell week
Hell week is the worst part of the entire training period. Initially, the trainees awaken in the middle of the night abruptly. Furthermore, containers of cold water are thrown at them, and they are required to crawl across the beach under a hail of fire. Additionally, the trainees are kept as awake as possible during the training, which occurs in the middle of the night. As the soldiers use these trunks for physical training (pull-ups, presses, and abdominal presses), the trainees likewise employ palm trees or tree trunks. Following this phase, the trainees then have to encounter individuals brandishing white weapons who are sent to assault them at random, followed by a 24-hour rest period.
Following a break, the training transitions to the use of live explosives, encompassing all kinds of explosives used on land and at sea. Furthermore, it involves storming residential targets and buildings in the tactical village, free jumping, landing on residential targets, and clearing them. Subsequently, the training circles back to underwater training and mining marine targets, incorporating more of the technique.
There are three places where the period of hell ends: Lake Qarun, the area behind the High Dam, and Fayoum. During this section, the student learns how to swim, assault, and retreat from the water pools, as well as how to sleep and survive inside of them. Additionally, trainees must remain in these pools for 24 hours a day, and they also feature a very high salt rate. Moreover, the military asserts that bacteria in these pools can kill a person in twenty-five minutes; therefore, trainees are advised not to use the restroom at night. Finally, Hell Week concludes, and the last phase, involving genuine, hands-on training in special operations on land, in the air, and at sea, is organized. [source]
4.2.8 Follow-up
The Special Forces squad completes a very light training program that includes extensive marching lines from Anshas to the Red Sea and back again, as well as air and sea navigation.
4.3 Task Force 777
El-Sa’ka’s military counterterrorism force is called Task Force 777. Ahmed Rajai Attia, a major general, formed it in 1978. The establishment of the unit stemmed from the El-Sa’ka Forces’ inability to complete the Laranka operation, as it exceeded their current capabilities. President Sadat pushed the El-Sa’ka Forces into the State of Cyprus without prior authorization, prompting full-scale combat with heavy weaponry from the Cypriot armed forces.
When EgyptAir representatives misled passengers about the actual jet they were about to free, the unit behaved well in 1985 during the process of freeing the hostages who were on board a passenger airliner in Malta. Despite the expectation that there would be seats behind the emergency exits, there were none in reality. Instead, behind those doors were additional seats owned by the firm. Twenty passengers lost their lives instantly when the unit’s men detonated high explosives to blow up the emergency doors. Subsequently, the terrorists engaged in a firefight with the execution forces upon entering the aircraft. In the chaos, a few passengers attempted to flee but were mistakenly shot dead by Egyptian snipers, who thought they were terrorists trying to escape.
Reportedly, the squad completed a successful mission in Haifa, wherein Israel apprehended an Egyptian vessel it believed to be transporting armaments and support for Palestinian resistance. The US Special Forces Delta Force and the 777th participated in cooperative training [source].
Task Force 777 [source].
4.4 Task Force 999
El-Sa’ka is home to the military force known as Force 999 Fighting. The El-Sa’ka, who specialise in extremely sensitive combat missions behind enemy lines in both peace and war, are the source of the most formidable special units. Compared to its colleague Unit 777, which does not engage in combat but is dedicated to stopping international terrorism, storming buildings, and freeing hostages, they are more sizable and expansive.
5.0 Equipment
The Arab world’s security faced jeopardy as some Arab countries, particularly Egypt, transformed into perpetual battlegrounds after the 2011 Arab Spring. This necessitated regional armies to enhance the effectiveness of their forces in response to the new challenges posed by widespread terrorism. This resulted from the disorder and the ease with which weapons left behind by the troops of these former countries could be smuggled and distributed.
Pistols:
- Tokarev semi-automatic pistol 7.62X25mm
- HK USP 9×19 mm semi-automatic pistol
- P226 9X19mm semi-automatic pistol
Individual weapons:
- Sig550
[source].
- M4a1
- Sig516
- AKM
Fire support weapons
- M60a3
- M110sass
- Fn mag
- Mp5
- Mp5sd
- Arx-160
- Cz Bren
- M80 barrel
6.0 Tactical-Operational Information
6.1 Battle of Shadwan:
The Battle of Shedwan in January 1970 was the most significant operation that the El-Sa’ka troops conducted against the Israelis. Shedwan is a remote, rocky island in the Red Sea that spans about 70 kilometres and is situated close to the mouths of the Gulf of Suez and Aqaba. It is 35 km from Hurghada and features a lighthouse to direct ships. Securing it is a naval radar and an Egyptian El-Sa’ka squadron, and it’s 325 kilometres from Suez.
6.1.1 Israeli Attack
On the evening of Thursday, 22 January 1970, the Israeli troops began a tremendous attack on the island. The offensive comprised air and sea landings, as well as an air bombardment that lasted for many hours on the island and targeted several Red Sea ports that were probably going to supply the Egyptian forces.
The battle between the Egyptian El-Sa’ka Company and the Israeli parachute battalion lasted for six hours. The Israelis struck one of the Egyptian boats on the island with their air force. While the Egyptians agreed that the Israeli casualties were higher than reported, the Israelis acknowledged that 150 of their men had died or been injured.
6.1.2 Egyptian Response
At 8:15 a.m. on January 23, the Egyptian military broadcast an announcement stating that the enemy had initiated a concentrated air attack on Shedwan Island at five o’clock in the morning. The conflict lasted for an hour as our air defence system engaged his aircraft and shot down one of them. Later, observers saw the pilot of that aircraft parachuting into the water. The Egyptian air defence system shot down another Israeli jet after the Israelis utilized their air force, which included American-built Phantom and Skyhawk aircraft, to target some of the Egyptian boats that were battling them in the region.
6.1.3 Outcome
According to Egyptian military sources, the Egyptian forces severely damaged the Israeli forces, killing or wounding at least thirty soldiers. Egyptian air defence troops shot down two Israeli aircraft, a Mirage and a Skyhawk. The Israeli forces—roughly equivalent to a whole paratrooper battalion—had to evacuate the areas of the island they had seized after engaging in an intense battle with a small Egyptian force for 36 hours.
On the eve of the first combat night, the Israelis declared that their forces had “found no resistance on the island.” However, they later acknowledged that the battle was still ongoing at three p.m. the following day. The next day, Friday, the Air Force took part in the action and bombarded the Israeli landing sites in Shadwan, dumping ten tons of explosives on them. Meanwhile, the Navy bolstered the Egyptian force occupying the island [source].
Israeli tanks landing on Shadwan Island, January 1970. [source].
6.2 War of Attrition:
May 30, 1970, witnessed a tragic Saturday ambush by Egyptian El-Sa’ka forces, claiming 14 Israeli paratroopers’ lives and injuring six others. Responding to this, the General Staff, led by Commander-in-Chief Sharon, opted to retaliate against the Egyptian forces near the canal. On June 11, 1970, Israeli forces launched Operation Victoria, one of two attacks known as the War of Attrition, on Egyptian El-Sa’ka soldiers positioned on the Egyptian Front’s front lines in the northern sector of the Suez Canal.
The commanding officer of the southern area Ariel Sharon was urging operations against Egyptian El-Sa’ka soldiers that were ambushing Israeli army patrols close to the Suez Canal. Achieving this involves seizing the initiative and leading incursions far into Egyptian territory, even permitting occupation of areas beyond the canal for brief periods.
Israeli Chief of Staff Haim Bar-Lev opposed this strategy, foreseeing significant casualties and doubting its impact on the Egyptian army’s position in the Canal Zone. Despite his objections, Sharon’s plan unfolded with an initial operation on March 14, 1970, raiding two locations north of Qantara. The fighting resulted in the deaths of eight Egyptian soldiers, and two Israeli soldiers were lost, with four more sustaining injuries. [source].
El-Sa’ka troops during “War of attrition” [source].
6.2.1 Ras Al-Ash battle
It is one of the battles of the War of Attrition. The fight, which took place at Ras Al-Ash, a small village 14 km south of Port Said and bounded to the east and west by the Suez Canal, started at 8:30 p.m. on July 1st and continued till July 4th, 1967. Many believe that the defeat of a party of El-Sa’ka warriors’ officers and soldiers in this battle signifies the beginning of attrition-based battlefield conflicts. The enemy’s armored vehicle attacked over four days with a tank company, stopping it from moving toward the Karantina and Port Fouad regions.
The Saiqa warriors started the battle by entering the Suez Canal in an attempt to stop the enemy from moving forward into Port Fouad and retreating towards Qantara East. First, under the direction of M. a. Jaber Al-Jazzar, the martyr, and the enemy moving forward to capture Port Fouad.
During the three-hour conflict, soldiers destroyed three tanks and three vehicles, and they killed the majority of the opposing soldiers. The majority of First Lieutenant Al-Jazzar’s group members perished as martyrs. Lieutenant Abdel-Wahab’s second group confronted an enemy-pushed 5-track truck carrying munitions. They eliminated Al-Zuhairi and its members, seized the vehicle and its munitions, and dispatched them west of the canal. [source]
El-Sa’ka troops during “Ras Al-Ash battle” [source]
6.3 October War
6.3.1 Operational Overview
In Egypt, the conflict is known as the October Liberation War; in Syria, they refer to it as the Yom Kippur War; and in Israel, it commenced on Saturday, October 6, 1973.
Group 127, Group 129, Group 132 in the Red Sea InsuranIn Egypt, they call it the October Liberation War; in Syria, they refer to it as the Yom Kippur War; and in Israel, it started on Saturday, October 6, 1973.ce Sector, and the General Command reserve units made up of Group 139 and Group 145 comprised the El-Sa’ka forces in the October War. The solution was to deal with the enemy’s nearby reserve and confront it with the El-Sa’ka forces so that the infantry could occupy the significant and fortified points.
6.3.2 Tactics and Achievements
This was because both President Sadat and the General Command of the Armed Forces knew that the infantry would carry out the crossing operation and fight on the eastern bank of the canal without any tanks and heavy equipment with them.
Although they had to fight for only 12 hours to disable the enemy, Saiqa troops in the Sidr Strait fought for 17 days, demonstrating the valor of the Saiqa warriors. After the breach occurred and the enemy attempted to enter Suez, circumstances compelled them to move towards Adabiya. One of the Saiqa groups set up an ambush from the east of the canal through the Seventh Division to strike the enemy to the west. The El-Sa’kas’ heroics within the context of the Third Field Army were unending. The 129th Saiqa Group, operating within the Second Field Army, made an outstanding effort to disable the reserves.
The El-Sa’ka Group of the Second Field Army reported that they had crossed the canal successfully, were five kilometers east of it, and that the siege of Qantara East was under progress. Later, the El-Sa’ka Group of the Third Field Army reported that they had thwarted the enemy’s attempt to supply them, completed the crossing, and besieged the strong points. [source].
El-Sa’ka troops during “War of October” [source].
7.0 Conclusion
It is inevitable that the El-Sa’ka Egyptian Special Forces will continue to develop and adapt in response to new threats and difficulties in the future. As technology advances and the nature of warfare undergoes transformations, these elite forces will undoubtedly leverage cutting-edge equipment, tactics, and training methods to maintain their edge in the battlefield.
With the persistent threat of terrorism and regional instability, the El-Sa’ka Special Forces will likely play an increasingly crucial role in countering extremist elements and safeguarding Egypt’s borders and interests. Their expertise in counterterrorism operations, honed through years of experience and training, will be invaluable in maintaining stability and security both domestically and regionally.
8.0 Future of El-Sa’ka
As Egypt continues to assert itself as a key player in regional affairs, the El-Sa’ka Special Forces may find themselves involved in a broader range of missions. Transitioning into peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance efforts, their versatility and proficiency in various combat scenarios make them well-suited to tackle diverse challenges on the global stage.
In essence, the future of the El-Sa’ka Egyptian Special Forces is bright, characterized by a steadfast commitment to excellence, innovation, and unwavering dedication to defending Egypt’s sovereignty and promoting peace and stability in the region. As they embark on this journey into the future, they will undoubtedly continue to uphold the proud legacy of valor and sacrifice that has defined them throughout their storied history.
