Posted on 12/08/2001 9:14:57 PM PST by Pokey78
IT WAS a tough challenge for the SAS but after a firefight lasting more than two hours 27 Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters lay dead, 30 were wounded and 30 captured. Britain’s elite troops had taken an enemy mountain stronghold with relative ease, although four of them were injured and their main quarry, Osama Bin Laden, had eluded them. Fresh details have emerged of the daring assault on the cave complex near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan: it was mounted after American intelligence said it knew where the world’s most wanted man was — to within 85 square yards. The mission began in the early hours a fortnight ago, when about 100 men from two SAS squadrons were taken by Chinook helicopters from their base to a drop-off point about 12 miles from their mountain target. From there the troops marched undetected to a series of narrow gullies, some only a few feet wide but more than 100ft deep, where Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters had built a network of caves, trenches and bunkers. Several of the Britons knew the terrain, having worked there in the recent past on a secret operation to undermine the Afghan heroin trade. Some of the trenches ran along the floors of the gullies and up their sides. Other defences included tunnels similar to those used by the Vietcong in Vietnam and emplacements built out of large rocks. It was in this heavily fortified complex that Bin Laden was thought to be. The SAS plan was simple: most of the troops would fire at a position while one or two crept close enough to “post” hand grenades into it. Having flushed the enemy from one position — either killing them or forcing them to flee — the unit would seize it and attack the next target. The squadrons were in close radio contact with American air support, which could fly overhead and bomb the larger bunker networks, guided by SAS soldiers signalling with hand-held lasers. Operating under what is believed to be the radio name Alpha One-One, the first SAS unit to reach the gully complex was just yards away from a bunker when it opened fire. The ferocity of the response took the British troops by surprise. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and RPG-7 grenade launchers, showed “no regard for their own safety”, said one source. They left their positions and ran, firing at the SAS lines until they were killed or wounded. The allied mission became a frenzied firefight in which the two sides were often less than 12ft apart. Bullets ricocheted off the sides of the gullies as hundreds of rounds of ammunition were spent from all angles. Some SAS soldiers were also involved in hand-to-hand combat in which knives are said to have been used. During the battle, which lasted 2Å hours, sources say several enemy fighters were shot at point-blank range and some captives were forced into revealing information about Bin Laden’s movements by having the barrels of machineguns shoved into their mouths. The two SAS squadrons came up against about 200 fighters. Under normal British military doctrine the attacking troops should have had a three-to-one advantage, or 600 men, before launching the attack. Taliban and Al-Qaeda soldiers who were not killed or taken prisoner fled. Although there was no trace of Bin Laden in the mountain hideaway, the mission was still declared a success. Of the four SAS soldiers injured, only one was seriously wounded, but the toll could have been far higher had it not been for the body armour the troops wore. Several soldiers are understood to have escaped harm despite being shot in the chest. The four casualties were evacuated by Chinook before being flown home in a Hercules transport plane. The seriously injured soldier was treated in an operating theatre on the plane during the flight back to Britain. It is understood that he had been shot in the stomach and could also lose a leg.
Stay Safe Ya'll !
A machine gun in the mouth can have a subtle affect. If it were US troops, they would have been required to read them their Miranda rights. Down with PC, it will get you killed more times than not.
correct!
Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab
The One That Got Away by Chris Ryan
Both are fascinating and quick reads. The One That Got Away is an incredible story of survival during the Gulf War.
Notice the back blade on the knife? The edge used for slitting throats?
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