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"  01 Yemen DIRECT ACTION: Airstrikes OBJECTIVE: Hunt members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula who are seizing towns and attacking government officials.  UPDATE: Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the CIA pick targets for drone and manned aircraft attacks against al-Qaida leadership and clusters of fighters. The website Long War Journal estimates that 23 strikes have been carried out since December 2009. 02 Philippines INDIRECT ACTION: Foreign Internal Defense OBJECTIVE: SOCOM deployed to the island of Basilan to counter gains made by the Islamist insurgent group Abu Sayyaf. UPDATE: A 500-man spec ops task force trains local military units to take and hold ground from Abu Sayyaf. Since the mission&amp;#039;s inception in 2002, 17 U.S. service members have died while advising and assisting Filipino forces. 03 Latin America INDIRECT ACTION: Foreign Internal Defense  OBJECTIVE: Promote military relationships with an annual competition, Fuerzas Comando.  UPDATE: Commandos from 19 countries participated in the 2011 competition. Events included a timed 11-mile forced march, sniper contests, and a combined airborne operation. U.S. troops placed sixth; El Salvador took first place 04 Trans-Sahara INDIRECT ACTION: Civil\u2013Military Support Element  OBJECTIVE: CMSE teams advise local governments on how to meet the needs of at-risk populations. UPDATE: CMSE teams from the 91st Civil Affairs battalion provide veterinary services, construction, and partnerships with reliable business leaders. This work is expanding; SOF Civil Affairs quietly added a fifth battalion in 2012.   &amp;amp;gt; Spec Ops Weapons Wish List &amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a7836/the-sun-never-sets-on-special-ops-10503978/>