Hostage rescues in general are NASTY with casualties almost guarenteed in many cases.
Been rereading my Special Operations book and last night the airplane hostage scenario in particular. It struck me then that even with the terrorist armed with only light weapons, chances were that a number of hostages, if not the entry team themselves, were going to get well and truely toasted unless they came up with something amazing.
Even feeding something like a sleeping gas into the plane probably wouldn't work, since the moment they realised something was wrong, they'd simply open up.
So, not knowing the details of the French operation, I can still understand just how easy it is for a stray bullet (let alone an aimed one) to cause untold grief. It's a miracle and testament to the SF training and skill that more aren't killed every time they have to make an entry.
|