Free Republic

It’s payback time. And like the famous “Devil’s Brigade” of Second World War fame, they know full well they may not survive the coming battles. According to British media reports, 40 of the bravest men in the world — elite Special Air Service elite troop — have asked to stay in the wartorn country to avenge the deaths of their fallen comrades. The 13 US Marines killed in a suicide bomb at Kabul airport in Afghanistan. One source told the Sunday Mirror: “The Marines who died were from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Force. “That unit has given assistance to the...

<p>Full Title: Special Forces hero who led secret mission to blow up Saddam Hussein's communications network dies from 'human Mad Cow Disease'</p> <p>An ultra-fit Special Forces hero who led a real-life “mission impossible” behind enemy lines has died from the rare human form of Mad Cow Disease.</p>

Elite special forces are some of the best-trained and most formidable units a country can boast. They go where other soldiers fear to tread, scoping out potential threats, taking out strategic targets, and conducting daring rescue missions. These really are the best of the best. Although it's extremely difficult to rank these forces relative to one another, there are some units that rise above the rest in their track record and the fear they instill in their adversaries. These soldiers have been through rigorous training exercises designed to weed out those who can't hit their exacting standards. In a world...

Legal configuration, 14" barrel.  Shockwave Technologies Raptor Grip installed A major controversy during the NRA Annual Meeting was the regulatory box the ATF had constructed for themselves with regulatory letters and the law.   I was surprised to learn that firearms that fired shotgun shells with a bore of more than .5 inches, and a barrel length less than 18 inches,  could legally be purchased and possessed without all the complex regulatory burden and $200 tax required by the National Firearms Act, the Gun Control Act of 1968, and all the following changes. The firearm pictured above is based...

British journalist Stephen Farrell owes his life to a remarkable rescue by Special Forces in Afghanistan – organised last week by Cobra, the crisis committee that sits in Cabinet Office Briefing Room A. ..... Farrell was a great prize: a British journalist working for an American paper. His death would have been drawn out, probably preceded by a drip feed of videos in which he pleaded for Nato withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for his life. ..... But in every volatile and dangerous kidnap situation Cobra will look for a Special Forces rescue option as an alternative to negotiations. ........

THE two special forces soldiers killed during an hour-long gunfight in southern Afghanistan were part of a daring raid on a Taleban stronghold in which four key commanders on the “Most Wanted” list were seized. The details of the “snatch” operation emerged as the next of kin were told of their deaths. The men’s names will not be released after a request from the families. The SAS, the Royal Marines’ Special Boat Service (SBS) and the newly formed Special Forces Support Group, consisting of troops from the 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment, were all involved in the largest covert operation...

Sergeant Paul “Scruff” Mcgough, who has died aged 41, was a member of the Special Boat Service unit which took part in the siege of Qala-i-Janghi, Afghanistan, one of the most highly decorated missions in the recent history of the British special forces.In November 2001 McGough was with C Company, SBS, when it flew unannounced into the former Soviet airbase at Bagram.A key strategic objective in north-east Afghanistan, it was disputed by thousands of Afghan government fighters, and the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, led by the Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum.Though vastly outnumbered, the SBS held the huge airbase for a...

New Special Forces unit will spy on the terrorists By Thomas Harding (Filed: 06/04/2005) The Army's first new regiment in more than three decades begins operations today to provide covert surveillance for Special Forces fighting the international terrorist threat. The Special Reconnaissance Regiment will draw on the experience of undercover soldiers who have conducted successful operations in Northern Ireland. Regimental cap badge The new unit, the first to be formed since the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1970, will have an international and domestic role to provide intelligence to fight terrorism. Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, said yesterday that the unit...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Al Qaida may have tried to kill former President Clinton, apparently while he was in office, and perhaps planned further attempts on world leaders, United Press International has learned. Specific references to Clinton were found among handwritten notes and sketches of U.S. Secret Service protective methods recovered from the Shomali compound near Kabul where al Qaida members received specialized training in assassination and hostage taking. "We have attempted to kill Clinton, but failed," documents in Arabic released exclusively to United Press International Monday state. Although the text indicates the attack was planned around some...

British special forces sent in to counter Olympics terror threatBy Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent(Filed: 08/08/2004) British special forces have been sent to Greece to help protect British athletes taking part in the Olympic Games. Two six-man teams, one from each of the armed forces' elite counter-terrorist units, have been advising Greek army and navy officials on how to thwart attacks by al-Qaeda. The troops were dispatched following fears expressed by British and American security services that the terror group might try to disrupt the Games with an outrage designed to inflict mass casualties. The Special Boat Service and the Special...

November 13, 2003: British commandos (Army SAS and Navy SBS) have been reassigned to go after terrorists operating in Baghdad. The British commandos have long experience with this kind work, both in Northern Ireland and in the Persian Gulf. That latter experience, and the presence of many SAS members who can speak Arabic, is expected to help identify and destroy the Baath Party and al Qaeda organizations within Baghdad. In Northern Ireland, SAS operations prevented hundreds of terrorist operations. But you usually don't get credit for the attacks you stopped, and you don't want to talk about it anyway. The...

SBS HERO DIES IN AL QAEDA BATTLE Nov 5 2003 Target a 'hornet's nest' By Tom Newton Dunn, Defence Correspondent, And Nathan Yates A SPECIAL forces soldier was shot dead and four injured in a top secret mission in Iraq. Special Boat Service Corporal Ian Plank, 31, was gunned down in a battle with al-Qaeda terrorists. Four SAS soldiers were also wounded by guerrillas linked to Osama bin Laden's terror network. Cpl Plank and his team attacked a rebel hideout in the desolate wastes in the north of Iraq on Friday night. Dozens of enemy fighters were killed in the...

TROOPS HELD IN SYRIA Military sources have confirmed two British special forces soldiers were held by Syrian forces after crossing the border from Iraq. The men were held for five days and have since been released after being captured at gunpoint. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office refused to comment but a defence source confirmed: "Two British soldiers were held in Syria but have since been released." The incident occurred shortly after a squadron of between 30 and 40 Special Boat Service commandos were dropped by helicopter into northern Iraq. They were carrying out reconnaissance and sabotage operations...