explosive device (IED) during a reconnaissance mission in northern Afghanistan. Of the wounded, Jesper Lindblom died due to his injuries on 9 December 2005 and Thomas Bergqvist died after having been airlifted to a hospital in Europe. In 2008, SSG and SIG were deployed to Chad, to prepare for the Swedish contribution of marines to EUFOR Tchad/RCA. In 2011, the SSG and SIG were merged to create the Särskilda operationsgruppen (Special Operations Group, SOG). Recruitment and training SSG drew its personnel from officers (lower ranks might have undergone officer training to be able to serve in the unit) of all three branches of the military, however mainly from the Life Regiment Hussars (K 3) (Airborne & Reconnaissance Infantry), Kustjägarna (Coastal Rangers), Army Ranger Battalion and each applicant must have passed a two-week-long selection process. Before selection took place, the applicants were invited to attend a pre-selection weekend, where they would have been tested and given notice of the likelihood of failure or success and how to improve themselves. Selection might only have been attempted once unless there were certain mitigating circumstances that caused the applicant to fail. Because of its level of secrecy, the time it took to train a recruit had not been made public by the SSG but according to the armed forces' website, basic operator training took more than one year. Each soldier received common training including parachuting, scuba diving and protection. As an operative he would have also received special training within different areas such as HAHO/HALO parachuting, explosives, first aid, sniping and special weapons training. An SSG operative had the ability to insert and extract by several means such as on foot, paradrop, submerged, and by boat and vehicle. Women could have applied to the unit as Intelligence Operators. Training was often held in countries other than Sweden, and joint exercises with other countries special forces were frequent. Commanders 1994–????: Dag Ernholdt ????–????: Hans-Alm 2006–2008: Ronny Modig See also Special forces Swedish Armed Forces Särskilda Inhämtningsgruppen Kustjägarna Fallskärmsjägarna References Special forces of Sweden Counterterrorist organizations Military units and formations established in 1994 Military units and formations disestablished in 2011 Disbanded units and formations of Sweden 1994 establishments in Sweden 2011 disestablishments in Sweden Karlsborg Garrison