Keywords: Military, Terrorists, Forces
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ANTI-TERRORISM UNIT EFFICIENT, BUT LOW-PROFILE

Byline: By PAUL MOONEY The Canadian Press

The Canadian Armed Forces unit Joint Task Force 2 is a shadowy, highly skilled counter-terrorist force of undetermined size, based somewhere near Ottawa with an anonymous commanding officer.
And that's the way the military wants to keep it.
But enough is known about similar units deployed by Canada's allies to establish a general profile of the crack force.
The Armed Forces set up Joint Task Force 2 when they took over anti-terrorist duties from the RCMP in April 1993. Its size, weapons, training and location of its base aren't disclosed.
``We don't talk about it because we are not going to tip our hand about the unit's capabilities,'' Maj. Ric Jones said Wednesday. ``Those the unit is designed to counter could use that kind of information.''
Joint Task Force 2 drew attention Wednesday after reports it was sent to Bosnia five months ago to rescue Canadian troops taken hostage by Serb forces. The unit was not used, the Ottawa Citizen reported.
The Forces won't comment on the report.
But Task Force 2 - the Forces never refer to it as a commando unit - was on alert for the Commonwealth games last year in Victoria.
And it will no doubt be on alert for the G-7 summit of the leading industrialized countries next month in Halifax, although that does not necessarily mean its soldiers will patrol rooftops over the summit or even be in the city.
The unit's primary mandate is ``to be ready to respond as a force of last resort to terrorist events or major disturbances of the peace affecting national security.''
As a unit of the Armed Forces, it can also be sent on whatever other missions commanders deem necessary.
The all-volunteer unit is drawn from the three services of the Forces and commanded by a lieutenantcolonel. Some experts put unit strength at between 200 and 250 men but the Forces will not confirm the size.
Its highly fit soldiers and officers would be trained to re-take buildings or aircraft held by terrorists. They would be deployed with a variety of special equipment such as stun and flash grenades, automatic assault weapons and other equipment needed to storm fortified positions.
Each member would have nightvision equipment for himself and for his weapons; the unit would include skilled marksmen and explosive experts.
At least part of the force would be on alert at all times, equipment packed and ready to go on a moment's notice.
Western countries began forming such units after the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympic Games in which 11 Israeli atheletes died in a hostage-taking by Palestinian terrorists.
Western units are usually trained using methods developed by the Special Air Service, the famed British force. After the Munich tragedy, Germany formed a crack unit known as the GSG-9.
The Canadian government earmaked $20 million in start-up costs for the Armed Forces unit over two years. That included the purchase of land and some equipment it bought from the RCMP.

Secret military antiterrorist unit woke up Montreal suburb.

Canadian Press

Montreal-A night military exercise that prompted Jacques Parizeau to accuse the federal government of prereferendum provocation was conducted by the military's secretive antiterrorist unit.
The Joint Task Force 2 exercise, conducted in the middle of the night on Aug.9, with large Twin Huey helicopters and ear-splitting stun grenades, woke up scores of people in the Montreal suburb of Anjou and drew the wrath of Mr. Parizeau.
Prime Minister Jean Chretien said he knew nothing about the exercises and noted that the Canadian Forces conduct manouvers all the time.
Although the acknowledge a high degree of secrecy surrounding the unit, some military officers complained privately that few people were informed of the exercise in advance of the Montreal excercise and argued that the inccident did nothing to boost support for the military.
"That's all we need right now-Parizeau all over the front pages complaining about the Armed Forces," said one officer who spoke on condition that he not be indentified.
Military sources say it's highly unlikely the antiterrorist unit will exercise in Quebec again until after the referendum.
Joint Task Force 2 was set up when the military took over antiterrorist responsibilities from the RCMP in 1993. To protect the force, its size, weapons, training, and the name of the lieutenant-colonel who commands it are not made public. It is based near Ottawa.
The unit's primary mandate is "to be ready to respond as a force of last resort to terrorist events or major disturbances of the peace affecting national security."