Manhunting is a term sometimes used for military operations by

special operations forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

and intelligence organizations to search for, and capture or kill important enemy combatants, known as high-value targets. It has been used particularly in the United States during the War on Terror. The most visible such operations conducted involve counterterrorist activities. Some involve government-sanctioned

targeted killing Targeted killing is a form of assassination carried out by governments Extrajudicial killing, outside a judicial procedure or a battlefield. Since the late 20th century, the legal status of targeted killing has become a subject of contention wit ...

or extrajudicial execution, and such operations have drawn political and legal controversy. Other military operations, such as hostage rescue or personnel recovery, employ similar tactics and techniques. The term has been used for some US operations such as Operation Red Dawn, the apprehension of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

, the search for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,Chris Cuomo and Eamon McNiff
"The Men in the Shadows – Hunting al-Zarqawi: Task Force 145 Is an Elite Special Ops Unit That Spent Years Tracking al-Zarqawi,"
ABC News, June 9, 2006 and the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manhunt (Military) Military tactics Operations involving special forces Intelligence operations by type Counterterrorism

See also

Notes