Manhunting is a term sometimes used for military operations by special operations forces 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.Seymour M. Hersh, Moving Targets, New Yorker, December 15, 2003 accessed at on 13 Feb 2008
The most visible such operations conducted involve counterterrorist activities. Some involve government-sanctioned targeted killing 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,Simone Payment, Finding and Capturing Saddam Hussein: A Successful Military Manhunt, The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005, 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 the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011, and Operation Absolute Resolve, the apprehension of Nicolás Maduro. The term has also been used for Israeli operations in the Gaza war, notably the assassination of Mohammed Deif in July 2024, as well as the killing of Yahya Sinwar in October 2024.
See also
Assassination Combat tracking Targeted killing Manhunt (law enforcement) Extraordinary rendition
Notes