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almost never going to be in close proximity to the hostage incident to respond that fast.
These units are for the most part based in the capital city of most countries for this
specific reason, but anything more than a few minutes distance to the target site, and it is
already too late; the terrorists will establish control and gain the upper hand soon after
their takeover. After this brief
window of opportunity closes, the terrorists will gain
relative superiority and assume control of the crisis area. The rescue force must wait for
a new window of opportunity to develop. It is then that timing becomes so critical.
Waiting allows the situation to develop, intelligence to be gathered on the target area, and
rehearsals to be conducted by the rescue force. The longer the wait, the better prepared
the rescue force will be to conduct the assault.
Along the same lines, the longer the wait,
the better the chances are for a negotiating team to establish credibility and come up with
a peaceful solution to the crisis.
There are also several drawbacks for waiting though, one of them being the
precarious condition of the hostages. The hostages can develop Stockholm
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or
transference
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syndrome, their health status worsens, and their
chances of being killed
increase. In addition, the tensions and frustrations inside the crisis area increase with
time, setting the stage for a possible violent confrontation between the hostages and the
terrorists. Overall, the benefits of waiting outweigh the risks. If the situation at the crisis
site is under control, and negotiations are established, the longer
the wait the better the
chances of success for a rescue attempt.
At the onset of the hostage taking, the designated rescue force must be summoned
at once, to start developing an
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