Free Republic

  EXCLUSIVE How to deploy the SAS At MoD ... Sun's Veronica with file     By TOM NEWTON DUNN Defence Editor VERONICA LORRAINE and MIKE SULLIVAN A SECRET military file found in a roadside ditch reveals how SAS troops and bomb disposal experts would be deployed in the event of a terrorist blitz.The dynamite document — handed to us by the Sun reader who discovered it — tells how the elite forces would fly all over Britain in an emergency fleet of scrambled helicopters. It also:DETAILS how Cabinet ministers, top brass and intelligence chiefs meet to discuss national emergencies...

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...

World News The Times June 28, 2006 SAS troops killed in midnight ambush By Tim Albone in Kabul and Michael Evans, Defence Editor TWO SAS soldiers were killed in a midnight ambush in southern Afghanistan during an hour-long firefight with the Taleban, which ended only after an RAF Harrier and an army Apache attack helicopter bombarded hostile positions. The battle erupted on Monday as an undercover unit of SAS soldiers was operating on the outskirts of Sangin in the northern part of Helmand province. The unit came under sustained fire, and as the special forces troops took up defensive positions,...

The Sunday Times June 25, 2006 Murder wave hits US ‘exburbs’ Tony Allen-Mills, New York THERE were five teenagers in the car rolling quietly through the muggy night an hour before dawn in central New Orleans. By the time the police caught up with them last weekend, they were all dead — riddled with bullets in the worst outbreak of gun violence since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city last year. An apparent ambush by unknown gunmen in an area still recovering from Katrina’s flooding has delivered a sharp jolt to what many criminologists are describing as complacency about violent crime....

LOW-key services in Townsville, Perth and East Timor tomorrow were to mark the 10th anniversary of one of the worst tragedies in Australian military history. Survivors of the 1996 Black Hawk helicopter collision – which killed 18 soldiers and air crew – will join families and other colleagues of the victims in remembering those who died on the High Range training course, near Townsville. The biggest remembrance ceremony will be held in Perth, where 60 family members have been flown at the defence force's expense. Fifteen of the 18 servicemen killed were members of the Special Air Service Regiment based...

BRITISH spies played a pivotal role in helping to nail al Zarqawi, The Sun can reveal.MI6 officers helped identify the whereabouts of the al- Qaeda general and his henchmen before the US air strike. And the SAS were involved in a series of “smash and grab” raids to seize his aides nearby. Senior sources confirmed last night that MI6 had worked for weeks with US and Jordanian counterparts. They helped pinpoint al Zarqawi and his team in their safe houses — leading directly to the bombing mission. A source said: “The intelligence services and special forces have been working with...

NORFOLK — A Virginian-Pilot carrier who was delivering newspapers early today shot and wounded one of two youths who tried to rob him, police said. Police planned to charge the youths, who were in custody. Their ages and identities were not released. The injured youth was hospitalized under guard, according to Cpl. Ollan Burruss, police spokesman. His wounds were not considered life-threatening. Police said the shooting happened around 2:52 a.m. in the vicinity of the 3500 block of Chesapeake Blvd. The carrier, who is an independent contractor and not an employee of the newspaper, had just started his route when...

AN Australian special forces soldier wounded in a clash with Taliban forces late last month has returned to Australia for further medical treatment. The soldier, serving with the Perth-based SAS regiment, underwent surgery at a coalition military base in Afghanistan before being evacuated to Australia. He is the fourth Australian soldier to be wounded in action in Afghanistan since the SAS deployed to Afghanistan late last year. The gunshot wound was not life-threatening and the soldier is expected to return to active service. An Afghan national army soldier operating with the Australian patrol was also wounded during the contact and...

SAS man bolsters Britain's new FBI By Thomas Harding and John Steele (Filed: 04/04/2006) A former SAS chief has been drafted in to "get a grip" of the new Serious Organised Crime Agency after tensions are said to have arisen in the merging of investigators from bodies including the police and Customs. Lt Gen Sir Cedric Delves, one of the most distinguished SAS commanders, will oversee intelligence operations by Soca and will give it access to the expertise of undercover surveillance teams at SAS headquarters in Hereford. The Home Office has called on other military figures, including dozens of colonels...

SAS moved at dawn as prisoner cracked By Oliver Poole in Basra (Filed: 24/03/2006) When it received confirmation of where Norman Kember was being held, the SAS's Black unit, the specialist hostage release team stationed near the British embassy in the Baghdad Green Zone, was already in full kit and ready to move. The team is under orders to keep men on full alert at all times. But the previous evening's arrest of an Iraqi believed to know the whereabouts of the three peace activists meant they had already joined the Americans and Canadians who would help conduct the operation....

Women Getting Trigger Happy More Women Are Buying and Using Guns March 19, 2006 — - More women, from soccer moms to professionals like the ones at the Blue Ridge Arsenal gun range in Chantilly, Va., are packing heat for sport, self-empowerment and protection. "I am a short, chubby housewife," said Jaque Blundell of Arlington, Va. "I'm not as scared of the bad guys, because the guns are my great equalizer." The gun industry is catering to women with everything from more girly guns and apparel to all-female hunting trips and free ladies nights at the range. It's clear...

SAS soldier quits Army in disgust at 'illegal' American tactics in Iraq By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 12/03/2006) An SAS soldier has refused to fight in Iraq and has left the Army over the "illegal" tactics of United States troops and the policies of coalition forces. After three months in Baghdad, Ben Griffin told his commander that he was no longer prepared to fight alongside American forces. Ben Griffin told commanders that he thought the Iraq war was illegal He said he had witnessed "dozens of illegal acts" by US troops, claiming they viewed all Iraqis as "untermenschen" -...

Two men were burned to death in their car after a shootout with Iraqi police in this southern city Monday, and security officials said the victims were British citizens. In London, a Foreign Office spokesman said he was aware of unsubstantiated reports of an incident involving non-Arabs. A third person in the car, also believed to be a British citizen, was wounded and rushed away by police, said police Capt. Mushtaq Kadhim. Two Iraqi policemen and two civilians also were wounded in the shooting, he said. Britain's Ministry of Defense said it was aware of reports of an incident in...

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and National Rifle Association (NRA) have filed a motion in federal court to have both New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley held in contempt. Their frustration stems from the continued failure of Nagin and Riley to comply with a federal injunction issued last September to halt illegal gun confiscations following Hurricane Katrina and return all seized firearms to their owners. SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb said the motion was made only after attorneys had exhausted all attempts to communicate and cooperate with the defendants, who have essentially ignored the federal court order....

Hawaii ReporterFreedom to Report Real News UPDATED: Women Tell Lawmakers They Want the Right to Protect Themselves with a Concealed FirearmSenate Judiciary Committee Considers Open Carry Bill at 9 a.m. Friday; Meanwhile the Intergovernmental Affairs and Judiciary Committees Killed Two Bills Late Thursday That Would Allow Concealed Carry and Protection of Second Amendment Rights in a Disaster; Bill to Force State Attorney General to Implement Federal Law Allowing Retired Police Officers the Right to Concealed Carry Passes Senate CommitteeBy Malia Zimmerman, 2/17/2006 5:45:25 AM Editor's update: The Senate Intergovernmental Affairs Committee deferred two Senate bills late Thursday that would grant...

The Government has ruled out honouring Ulster Second World War hero Blair Mayne despite intense pressure from campaigners. Admirers of the Newtownards man are pressing for him to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his service during the 1940s. A founding member of what became the SAS, the Lt-Col was one of the most decorated soldiers in the Second World War, winning four Distinguished Service Orders (DSOs), the Legion d'Honneur and the Croix de Guerre but the highest accolade eluded him. Known as Paddy, he was killed in a car accident 50 years ago and the anniversary has sparked renewed...

Here is some extracts from 'The Amazing SAS: the inside story of Australia's special forces' by Ian McPhedran. It is an outstanding book that details the men and the events of the Aussie SAS in the War on Terror and Iraq. The blue uniforms stood out in stark contrast to the khaki summer kit worn by the diggers. On the parade ground on a crisp June day at SAS headquarters at Swanbourne near Perth, the flamboyant US Air Force (USAF) dress rig brought a touch of Uncle Sam to a very Australian parade. The 1 SAS Squadron was on parade...

WHEN Warrant Officer David Nary of the elite Special Air Service was killed in the Middle East no one felt the pain or loss more than his widow, Naomi, and family in Sydney. For Naomi Nary, 39, the dedicated career soldier was husband, best friend and family protector. With his death, she became an army widow for the second time. Mrs Nary, however, wants the emphasis to be on her soldier husband who told his children he was going to a war zone to protect others. She wants Australians to know his sons David, 15, Alex, 12, and Joshua, 7,...

Early on a warm summer morning, a few hours before traffic began to fill the streets, a 16-man SAS patrol took up ambush positions around a Baghdad house, writes Sean Rayment.

Early on a warm summer morning, a few hours before traffic began to fill the streets, a 16-man SAS patrol took up ambush positions around a Baghdad house, writes Sean Rayment. The soldiers had been told that the house was a being used as a base by insurgents - and up to three suicide bombers were expected to leave it later that morning. Dressed in explosive vests, they were fully equipped to hit a number of locations around the city. The bombers' targets were thought to be cafes and restaurants frequented by members of the Iraqi security forces. The intelligence...