Another example of combined police and military oversight of pseudo-operations include the Selous Scouts in the former country Rhodesia ( now Zimbabwe ) , governed by white minority rule until 1980 . The Selous Scouts were formed at the beginning of Operation Hurricane , in November 1973 , by Major ( later Lieutenant Colonel ) Ronald Reid-Daly . As with all Special Forces in Rhodesia , by 1977 they were controlled by COMOPS ( Commander , Combined Operations ) Commander Lieutenant General Peter Walls . The Selous Scouts were originally composed of 120 members , with all officers being white and the highest rank initially available for black soldiers being color sergeant . They succeeded in turning approximately 800 insurgents who were then paid by Special Branch , ultimately reaching the number of 1,500 members . Engaging mainly in long-range reconnaissance and surveillance missions , they increasingly turned to offensive actions , including the attempted assassination of Zimbabwe People 's Revolutionary Army leader Joshua Nkomo in Zambia . This mission was finally aborted by the Selous Scouts , and attempted again , unsuccessfully , by the Rhodesian Special Air Service
Operation Hurricane
Operation Hurricane
False flag