Black Storks (Mujahideen)

Special Service Group (SSG)
Special Service Group Insignia
Active	23 March 1956 – present
Country	Pakistan
Allegiance	Pakistan Army
Branch	Pakistan Army
Type	Special Operations Forces
Role	Special Operations
Size	8 Battalions (5,600 men)
Garrison/HQ	Tarbela Cantonment, Pakistan
Nickname(s)	SSG Commandos Maroon Berets Army SS Group Black Storks
Motto(s)	Man Janbazam (I am valiant)
Colours Identifications	Maroon and Sky blue
Anniversaries	Pakistan Day: March 23
Engagements	Operation Gibraltar Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Grand Mosque Seizure Soviet war in Afghanistan Siachen war Indo-Pakistani War of 1999 Operation Silence War in North-West Pakistan United Nations Military missions War in Afghanistan Operation Zarb-e-Azb
Commanders
Current Commander	Major-General Tahir Masood Bhutta, General Officer Commanding
Notable Commander	Brigadier Tariq Mehmood

The Special Service Group (SSG) (Urdu: خصوصی خدمات انجمن) is the primary special operations force of the Pakistan Army. The SSG is a regiment-sized unit, and is headquartered at Tarbela Cantonment. It is headed by a major-general and divided into eight battalions. Each battalion comprises 700 men in four companies, with each company split into platoons and then into 10-man teams. Each battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel.

SSG Pak was raised by amalgamating 7th/10th Baluch (19 Baluch) and 312 Garrison Company. Based out of Cherat and , the SSG was created in 1956. In the same year, 19 Baluch was selected for conversion to a special operation force. Consequently, the SSG has inherited many of the traditions and insignia of the Baloch Regiment. The 19th Baluch Regiment's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel (later Major General) Aboobaker Osman Mitha who commanded it for six years till 1961. The first commander of its Alpha Company was Major (later Lieutenant Colonel) Gaideen Khan Abdullai Mahsud. Their initial training and orientation as regards tactics was based on the US Special Forces pattern with whom they co-operated closely in the Cold War years. The SSG initially had 6 companies and each company had specialization units, specialized in desert, mountain, ranger, and underwater warfare. The desert companies participated in training exercises with US Army Special Forces Mobile Training Team in late 1964. In August 1965, scope of SSG was raised from a battalion size force to larger Special Operations outfit and instead of 19 Baluch (SSG) they simply adopted the name Special Service Group. The scuba company in Karachi was renowned for its tough physical training. Later on, Chinese training, tactics, weapons, and equipment were also introduced.

The SSG guerrillas were initially deployed along the Afghan border to repel Afghan incursions into Pakistan, but their first major deployment came during the war of 1965. By 1971, the SSG had grown to 3 battalions with 1 permanently stationed in East Pakistan.

In 1971, SSG comprised three battalions of which one (3rd Commando Battalion) was stationed in East Pakistan. In one of the raids on an Indian artillery regiment during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, 1 Commando Battalion incapacitated number of their guns.

During Operation Magistral, it is alleged that the SSG came into regular contact with Soviet forces. One of these incidents was the Battle for Hill 3234, where a company of Soviet paratroopers engaged a force of Mujahideen believed to be SSG. The Mujahideen wore black uniforms with rectangular black-yellow-red stripes. It is claimed by at least two sources that the Mujahideen were actually members of the SSG. According to the Soviet estimates, the SSG lost over 200 men.