| “ | If I advance, follow me. If I stop, urge me on. If I retreat, kill me.
— Motto of the Kaibiles
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The Kaibiles are a special forces group that specializes in counterinsurgency and jungle fighting. The Kaibiles were founded at the end of 1974, emerging in the midst of Guatemala's 36-year civil war. In theory, the Kaibiles were intended to fulfill the role of highly-trained anti-guerrilla special forces operators, especially proficient in jungle warfare. In practice, they were responsible for a wide range of atrocities during the war, and many ex-Kaibiles continued to operate as hired guns for drug traffickers in the war's aftermath.
During the Guatemalan Civil War, the Kaibiles carried out such notorious acts as the December 6, 1982 Dos Erres Massacre. In retaliation for an attack carried out by guerrilla forces that left Guatemalan soldiers dead, the Kaibiles dressed up as the guerrillas and entered the village of Dos Erres, where they proceeded to search the area for evidence of guerrilla activity. Although it became clear that the locals were not guerrilla sympathizers, the Kaibiles commenced an appalling massacre that left more than 200 civilians dead—including women, children, and babies. The violence included sexual assault and other forms of torture and carried over two days until December 8. As of 2012, only five Kaibiles have been brought to justice for the Dos Erres Massacre.
Since the end of the Guatemalan Civil War, the Kaibiles continue to exist as a special forces unit that trains with other special forces units around the world. Kaibiles have been trained at the former School of the Americas and other U.S.-funded defense institutions. Internationally, the Kaibiles participated in UN peacekeeping efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and they fought in a 2006 failed effort to capture a commander of the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army.
They continue to be used to evict Indigenous and peasant communities from their land, and are in theory employed by the Guatemalan government to combat organized crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism. However, many former Kaibiles have lent their services to the Los Zetas cartel in Mexico, and those ex-Kaibiles apprehended have been charged for drug trafficking-related massacres in northern Guatemala.
Battle vs. Selous Scouts (by Field Marshal Montgomery)[]
To be written.
Expert's Opinion[]
To be determined.