The (GIS) ("Special Intervention Group") is the special forces unit of the Carabinieri. The Carabinieri, a branch of the Italian Armed Forces responsible for both military and civil policing, formed GIS in 1978 as a police tactical unit. In 2004, GIS assumed a special operations role, evolving to a special forces unit, in addition to the police tactical unit role, becoming part of the Comando interforze per le Operazioni delle Forze Speciali (Joint Special Forces Operational Headquarters).

The unit has taken part in counter-terrorism operations and VIP, executive and dignitary protection security. Since its inception, GIS has distinguished itself throughout Italy for efficiency and excellent preparation, and has also operated and operates in several theatres of war including the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa, as well as in all the countries where Italian diplomatic offices are at risk.

In Italy, GIS is one of three police tactical units that can operate throughout the country, the other two being Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza (NOCS) of the Polizia di Stato and Antiterrorismo Pronto Impiego (ATPI) of the Guardia di Finanza.

Roles The Special Intervention Group is employed in high-risk special actions against terrorism. The GIS specializes in hostage rescue, prioritizing their physical safety, in the reconquest of vital targets and facilities held by terrorists, in resolutive intervention against hijacking, and in intervention in environments featuring NBCR dangers.

Domestic roles

The Special Intervention Group ensures the permanent availability of personnel to the Ministry of the Interior for immediate deployments. The Ministry of the Interior employs the GIS for the release of hostages from airplanes, ships, trains, buses and buildings. It also calls them to protect sensitive targets from terrorist or criminal attacks and to ensure surveillance and security at high-risk events (in coordination with Public Security authorities).

Aside from the permanent availability ensured to the Interior Ministry, the GIS is used by the General Command of the Carabinieri to guarantee the security of threatened personalities or to assist territorial units in crisis situations such as kidnapping and capturing criminals, fugitives or dangerous evades. The GIS also trains and certifies other Carabinieri assigned to escort duties, and provides security services to important persons.

Roles abroad

The GIS is also deployed abroad, to perform foreign hostage-rescue operations, to protect Italian embassies and consulates in highly dangerous situations, as well as for special intervention in Carabinieri deployments and operations abroad.

Occasionally they are also in charge of training foreign police personnel.

Special operations In 2004, GIS became a special forces unit responsible for special operations, including direct action, special reconnaissance, military assistance and counter-terrorism, part of Comando interforze per le Operazioni delle Forze Speciali of the Armed Forces, in addition to its civilian police tactical unit role. GIS can deploy overseas for special operations if requested by COFS. In 2015, laws were changed to permit the Italian foreign intelligence service Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna to use GIS for individual missions.

History

Background

During the 1970s (the so-called years of lead) the Italian political and civil institutions suffered a violent assault by endemic terrorist groups. Although the Government had not taken any official initiatives, units were set up in the elite units of the Armed Forces and Police for the development and experimentation of intervention techniques in crisis situations in the presence of hostages.

On 18 October 1977, the political will changed as a result of the success of Operation Feuerzauber (Magic Fire) conducted by the Germans of the GSG-9 that in Somalia succeeded in freeing 86 passengers and 3 crew members of the Lufthansa 181 flight hijacked and still in the hand of terrorists. Feasibility studies were immediately carried out.

Following this action, interior minister Francesco Cossiga on 6 January 1978 ordered the creation of the UN.I.S. (Unità di Intervento Speciale, Italian for "Special Intervention Units"), in order to support anti-terrorism investigations.

In a feasibility study conducted on 24 October 1977, the Carabinieri foresaw the establishment of the Special Intervention Group within the Battalion "Tuscania", in order to enable the Group to act both framed the larger Battalion and alone.

Establishment The Special Intervention Group was the first to be officially established on 6 February 1978 by the General Command of the Carabinieri, within the then-Battalion "Tuscania". This unit of the Carabinieri could act both in civil and public order and in the military sphere. The Special Intervention Group was made operationally autonomous, administratively part of the Battalion and logistically supported by the Folgore Brigade.

By December 1981, the Special Intervention Group reached its full operational capability.

The public debut of the GIS took place in Trani on 29 December 1980. In the prison, a revolt led by terrorists broke out. On the building, helicopters began to whirl, from which masked men quickly fell down. They regained control of the prison in a few minutes despite the many gates welded by the rebels to hinder an intervention from outside.

Expansion of the scope In the following years, the GIS expanded its tasks: in December 1988 the Group, on the proposal of its own commander, was tasked with prevention and counter-sabotage activities, as well as with the support of the Carabinieri territorial organization, sensitive targets surveillance, and high-risk interventions and round-ups against organised crime.

In 1994, the tasks of the Group were further expanded, including support for the capture of prominent fugitives, in anti-drug operations and in operations aimed at executing orders of the judicial authorities in the presence of environmental characteristics that entail considerable difficulties in execution. An underwater component was also set established and the use of the unit in support of the Italian embassies at risk was also approved.

2004: special forces unit The GIS, because of the minor terrorist emergency, since 2000, has operated mainly in the military, and since 26 November 2004, it has been part of the Special Forces, along with COMSUBIN, 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment and the 17º Stormo Incursori.G.I.S. Gruppo d'Intervento Speciale | Corpi d' élite - Forze speciali italiane, antiterrorismo, intelligence.

The decision of converting the GIS into a special forces unit was taken as a consequence of the large overseas deployment of its operators, which distinguished themselves for competence and resolution in various scenarios of war. Already after its creation, the group operated alongside Italian troops in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War, and since that moment they become an important part of the Italian military actions around the globe.

Organization The GIS headquarters is in Livorno.

The exact number of operating personnel is confidential information, but the Group is organized at a company level.

The GIS is divided into:

A command section An administrative section A training and exercise section A section of exploration, reconnaissance, and target acquisition A combat section A section of selected shooters The largest combat section, in turn, is divided into three detachments consisting of teams of four men: a commander, an explosive specialist, a climbing specialist and an equipment specialist.

At any moment there is a detachment ready to leave the base in 30 minutes. For this purpose, there are always some Agusta-Bell AB 412 supplied with the Carabinieri and a 46th Air Force Aircraft of the Air Force that is located in nearby Pisa, which can supply the C-130 Hercules when needed. The remaining can be used within three and twenty-four hours of the alarm. In the most urgent cases, an advanced core precedes the operating section in order to plan the intervention strategy based on first-hand information.

The exploration, reconnaissance and scouting section is in turn made up of teams of three men: two fighters armed with Mauser 86 SR and an explorer equipped with a semiautomatic HK PSG-1. During longer actions, men can become the explorer.

Publicly known missions As of late 2018, the Special Intervention Group has been involved in more than 600 special operations: 28 December 1980, prison of Trani: Blitz inside the prison where some communist brigades members were barricaded. At the end of a violent gunfight, 18 police members were liberated. Many were wounded among special forces, prisoners and terrorists, but no victims. 25 August 1987, Elba Island, Porto Azzurro Prison (Livorno): 6 men sentenced for life, among them the terrorist Nero Mario Tuti, take 11 prisoners, 17 prison guards, and 5 civilians as hostages. After a few hours, members of GIS and NOCS entered in the building, and injured all six terrorists. 24 June 1989, Oria (Brindisi): Roberto Di Giovanni, 26 years old, suffering from a mental disorder that worsened after his mother died, barricaded himself in a house with a pistol and a couple of hunting rifles and shot 200 rounds at civilians and later against the police, killing one person and injuring 10, among them 4 Carabinieri and a policeman. Any negotiation was useless because he shot at everything that moved. When the night came, GIS entered the house with the use of gas and after hand-to-hand combat arrested Roberto. December 1989, San Luca (Reggio Calabria): the capture of the 'ndrangheta member Strangio, during the investigation on the seizure of Cesare Casella 17 April 1990, Santa Margherita Ligure (Genova): Liberation of Patrizia Tacchella. 16 January 1995, Segrate (Milan): Liberation of Raffaele Alessi. 9 May 1997, Venice: Liberation of the San Marco bell tower from so-called "Venetian Most Serene Government" militants, that reached San Marco square with a home made armored vehicle and a camper. 18 December 1999, Alicudi Island (Messina): Antidrug operation at sea. 7 June 2000, Turin: liberation of Rosa Laura Spadafora. 10 June 2000, Torre Annunziata (Naples): capture of the absconding camorrista Ferdinando Cesarano. 2 November 2000, Crotone: GIS operators captured the vessel Tiride, which was carrying three tons of hashish, and arrested its crew. 9–10 December 2001, Platì: The capture of fugitive Giuseppe Barbaro, head of the eponymous clan from Platì. 25 March 2002, Kabul, Afghanistan: "Operation Corona" escort for the former Afghan King Mohammed Zahir Shah. 27 March 2002, Strongoli Marina, Calabria: GIS operators arrested fugitive Guirino Iona and two of his associates. 30 November 2002, Ostia (Rome):capture of the absconding Tunisian Faid Isa Kamalfa, barricaded in a Villa. August 2003, Nasiriyah: Iraq The GIS unit assigned to the Multinational Specialized Unit (MSU) Regiment has carried out numerous counter-terrorism operations, which have led to the capture of two war criminals, the detention of several terrorism suspects, and the seizure of large quantities of weapons, ammunition, and explosives. 13 November 2003, Nasiriyah: Iraq Support to the operation after the attack against the Italian army base that caused 28 death. 13–14 November 2003, Platì: "Operation Marine", GIS operators captured two repeat offenders, prominent members of the dominant mafia families of Platì. 17 November 2003, Rosarno: "Operation Wild Forest", GIS operators captured a dangerous member of the ’Ndrangheta. 6 April 2004, Nasiriyah: Iraq some members of the GIS take part to the battle of the bridges against Mahdi soldiers.