| JEDINICA ZA SPECIALNE OPERACIJE (JSO) Unit for Special Operations The JSO is one of the most secretive Serbian special operations units, placed under the control of the State Security Service (SDB). The unit's first commander was Franko "Frenki" Simatovic, a veteran of the wars in Croatia and Bosnia, and he is also assumed to have been the Chief of Special Forces of State Security. The direct action element of the SDB was first formed in 1991 under the name Jedinica za posebnu namenu (JPN), and was renamed to Jedinica za Specijalne Operacije (JSO) soon after. Detailed information about the JSO is very hard to come by and verify, but a general picture can be put together using various sources. The JSO is sometimes considered to be a paramilitary force, rather than a government special operations unit, and goes by several nicknames including, "Frenkijevci," after the commander Franko Simatovic, and the "Red Berets." They are primarily used for "black" operations, including assassinations and surgical strikes against suspected terrorists. The chain of command that the JSO goes through is unclear, but it has been reported that they answered directly to Milosevic during the conflict in Kosovo. There have been a lot of rumors concerning the JSO, both about their activities and their appearances. Reports have members of the JSO wearing cowboy hats, pigtails, black uniforms, uniforms of the Ministry of Interior and cream-colored uniforms. They have been accused of vast slaughters ... |
