List of SAS operations
The following is a list of known Special Air Service (SAS) operations.
World War II Operations
The Special Air Service began life in July 1941, the brainchild of Lieutenant David Stirling of No. 8 (Guards) Commando. His idea was for small teams of parachute trained soldiers to operate behind enemy lines to gain intelligence, destroy enemy aircraft and attack their supply and reinforcement routes. The SAS carried out this role until the end of the war serving in a number of theatres and campaigns. By the end of the Second World War on 8 May 1945, the SAS had suffered 330 casualties, but had killed or wounded 7,733 and captured 23,000 of their enemies.[1]
North Africa
- Operation Crusader, initial unsuccessful raid.
- Operation Squatter, 16/17 November 1941, raid on forward Axis airfields in North Africa.
- Operation Green Room
- Operation Agreement
- Operation Bigamy, September 1942, raid on the Port of Benghazi.
- Operation Palmyra
Mediterranean
- Operation Albumen, 7/8 June 1942, 4/5 July 1943, raids on Axis airfields in Crete.
- Operation Husky, July 1943, Allied invasion of Sicily.
- Operation Chestnut, July 1943, raids supporting Sicily invasion.
- Operation Narcissus, July 1943, capture of lighthouse in Sicily.
- Operation Avalanche, Allied invasion of Italy.
- Begonia/Jonquil, October 1943, rescue of POWs in Italy.
- Operation Candytuft, October 1943, raid on railroad targets in Italy.
- Operation Maple Driftwood 1944, raid on railroad targets in Italy.
- Operation Baobab, January 1944, raid on rail targets serving Anzio, Italy.
- Operation Galia, December 1944 – February 1945, 34 men from 3 Squadron, 2 SAS parachuted into northern Italy, conducted operations alongside local resistance fighters.
North-West Europe
- Operation Overlord, June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of North-West Europe.
- Operation Titanic, June 6, 1944.
- Operation Nelson, June 1944, operation in the Orleans Gap.
- Operation Samwest, 6 June 1944, 4th SAS Battalion (Free French) dropped in Côtes-du-Nord (Brittany).
- Operation Grog /Grog, 4 SAS in conjunction with Operations Dingson and Samwest June 5, 1944.
- Operation Dingson, 6 June 1944, 4th SAS Battalion (Free French) dropped to Morbihan (Brittany).
- Operation Bulbasket, 2nd SAS failed operation 6 June 1944.
- Operation Cooney, 8 June 1944, 18 teams of the 4th SAS Battalion (58 Free French) dropped to Brittany to break communications ways.
- Operation Houndsworth, June 1944.
- Operation Lost, 23 June – July 1944, British and Free French operation in Brittany
- Operation Swan, 1944.
- Operation Gain, 1944 (Originally issued as Operation Cain but corrupted in transmission and the latter adopted).
- Operation Defoe, July 1944, patrols in Normandy.
- Operation Barker, 1944, (originally issued as Operation Barkers as it is named for a famous London department store, but subsequently truncated).
- Operation Derry, 1944.
Operation Wallace, 19 August to 19 September 1944, Raids near Dijon, France
- Operation Gaff, July 1944, attempt to kill or capture Erwin Rommel.
- Operation Dunhill, August 1944, raid in support of the breakout from the Normandy beachhead.
- Operation Loyton, August 1944, operations near the Belfort Gap.
- Operation Haggard, (Part of a series of randomly allocated cryptonyms derived from famous writers).
- Operation Newton, August 1944, attacks on German rear areas.
- Operation Noah, August 1944, attack on retreating Germans in Belgium.
- Operation Canuck, January 1945 operation in Northern Italy.
- Operation Cold Comfort, February 1945 failed SAS raid on railroad targets near Verona.
- Operation Brake, (part of a series of operations named after parts of aircraft).
- Operation Tombola, March 1945, major operation around Bologna.
- Operation Archway, March 1945, reconnaissance in support of the crossing of the Rhine.
- Operation Amherst, In the night of 7 April 1945, more than 700 Free French SAS of the 3rd and 4th SAS were dropped in the Netherlands between Hoogeveen and Groningen.
- Operation Keystone, April 1945, operation near IJsselmeer.
- Operation Howard, April–May 1945, B and C Squadrons of 1 SAS, provided reconnaissance ahead of the Canadian 4th Armoured Division's drive towards northern Germany.
Known Post-War Operations
Immediately following the conclusion of the Second World War the SAS was disbanded, however the continued necessity for a commando unit was recognised and they were reformed again in 1947.[2] In 1950 an SAS squadron trained to be deployed in the Korean War, however they were eventually transferred to Southeast Asia to serve in the ongoing Malayan Emergency. The SAS continued to serve successfully in a variety of theatres and roles throughout the Cold War, and following the September 11 attacks the SAS deployed in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, it has continued its diverse selection of roles to the present day.
1950s–1970s – the Cold War
- Operation Helsby, February 1952, series of deep penetration operations in Malaya.[3]
- Operation Hive
- In 1958 two squadrons of 22 SAS were deployed to Oman to put down a rebellion.[4] In January 1959 the SAS carried out a successful assault on a large guerrilla force on the Sabrina plateau.[5]
- Operation Claret, June 1964 – 1966, series of high risk cross-border patrols into Indonesia.[6]
- "Keeni-Meeni Operations", 10 December 1963 – 1967, the search for Yemeni-trained assassins.[7]
- Operation Storm, 1970–1977, deployment of the SAS to support the Sultanate of Oman; operating under the auspices of a British Army Training Team (BATT). Included the well documented attack on the SAS outpost at Mirbat.[8]
- Operation Feuerzauber (Fire Magic), October 18, 1977, supplemented German GSG9 commando operation.
1980s–1990s
- Operation Nimrod, 5 May 1980, successful rescue of hostages from the Iranian embassy in London.
- Operation Corporate, 2 April-14 June 1982, the overall British operation to recover the Falkland Islands. The SAS alongside the SBS carried out numerous reconnaissance missions and diversionary raids in East and West Falkland to support the campaign. SAS forward observers also directed British artillery and aircraft.[9][10]
- Operation Paraquet, 25 April 1982, successful recapture of the Island of South Georgia.
- Pebble Island Raid, 14–15 May 1982, successful attack on Argentinian-held airbase in West Falkland.[11]
- Operation Sutton, 21–23 May 1982, landings in East Falkland.
- Operation Mikado, May 1982, abortive operation to destroy the three remaining Exocet missiles in Argentine possession.
- Mount Kent, 29–31 May 1982, D Squadron of 22 SAS seized and then held the vital Mount Kent high ground for three nights against repeated Argentine assaults until being reinforced by 42 Commando.[12]
- Operation Banner, 1969–1997, deployment of the British army in Northern Ireland, the official SAS deployment from 1976.
- M60 gang, 1980, eight IRA members arrested, SAS Captain Herbert Westmacott killed.[13]
- Loughgall, 1987, ambush of eight IRA members.[14]
- Flavious, 1988, operation against three IRA members in Gibraltar.[15]
- Coagh, 1991, ambush of three IRA members.[16]
- Clonoe, 1992, ambush of six IRA members.[17]
- Coalisland, 1997, one alleged IRA member shot and wounded after a grenade attack on RUC barracks.[18]
- Operation Granby, January 1991, the deployment British forces during the Gulf War, the SAS component included the well documented Bravo Two Zero patrol. The SAS adopted its classic deep penertration role behind enemy lines, being deployed in numerous reconnaissance missions and raids on Scud launchers and communications sites. They also acted as observers for Coalition artillery and aircraft.
- Operation Victor Two, February 1991, a successful assault on a Scud communications installation.[19]
- Operation Joint Endeavor, 16 July 1992 – 2 December 2004, NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Japanese embassy hostage crisis
- Operation Chavín de Huántar, 22 April 1997, supplemented Peruvian Army operation.[4]
- Operation Palliser, May 2000, deployment of British forces in Sierra Leone.
- Operation Barras, 10 September 2000, rescue of 6 captured members of the Royal Irish Regiment in Sierra Leone.
2000s–2010s – The War on Terror
- Operation Enduring Freedom, 7 October 2001 – 28 December 2014, NATO deployment in Afghanistan. The SAS were involved in the initial invasion and remained active in the conflict.
- Operation Trent, November 2001, attack on an Al Qaeda opium plant and command centre.
- Tora Bora, 12–17 December 2001, failed attempt to capture Osama Bin Laden.[22]
- Operation Condor, May 2002.
- Rescue of Stephen Farrell, 9 September 2009, successful SAS-SBS operation to rescue Times journalist Stephen Farrell after he was captured by the Taliban.[23]
- Operation Moshtarak, March 2010, a part of a U.S.-led operation in Helmand Province, operating with Navy SEALs striking against and capturing Taliban leaders.
- Rescue of Helen Johnston, July 2012, SAS conducted and led a joint operation with American Delta Force in a night time raid in the Shahr-e-Bozorg district, in a large forested area near the Tajikistan border called Koh-e-Laran. SAS and Delta Force arrived by helicopter and undertook a "long march" to a cave system where 4 aid workers (1 British, 1 Kenyan, 2 Afghan) were being held. There was a moment of alarm when the US troops reported that the cave they assaulted did not contain any hostages. The tension was broken when the SAS commander on the ground reported that his team had successfully rescued all four hostages and killed 11 kidnappers within minutes. There were no SAS fatalities or injuries.[24]
- Operation Telic, 19 March 2003 – 30 April 2009, the British deployment in Iraq. The SAS were involved in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and they were involved in later operations during the occupation.
- Operation Row, 18 March 2003, was Britain's contribution to the taking of large parts of western and northern Iraq, this would pin down several Iraqi divisions stopping Saddam Hussein reinforcing his efforts against the main invasion. A few members of D Squadron were deployed to southern Iraq to support the coalition advance on Basra the team infiltrated the city and brought in strikes on the Ba'athist loyalist leadership.[25] The Daily Mail alleged in February 2013 that the SAS were deployed in Iraq two days before the Coalition invasion, in an operation named "Row" to destroy scud launchers. B & D Squadrons of 22 SAS were tasked to assault the town of Al Qa'im in Northwest Iraq where it was believed chemical weapons were ready to be deployed.[26][27] The SAS lost not a single soldier during the taking of Iraq, although two members of D Squadron had died in a training accident before the invasion. The US military designated the SAS element in Iraq as Task Force 14, operating out of Baghdad International Airport; the force accompanied MI6 officers into Baghdad so they could carry out missions with security, by early May, B and D Squadrons were replaced roughly 30 members of G Squadron, who still had about a dozen members deployed in Afghanistan.[28]
- Seizure of H-2 and H-3 Air Bases, 21 March 2003, as part of Operation Row, a combined force consisting of a squadron of British Special Air Service and a squadron of Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) assaulted and seized H-2 and H-3 airbases. The British SAS then headed eastwards to search for and destroy Iraqi SCUD missile launchers – which Saddam might again use to attack Israel.[29]
- Capture of Lieutenant-General Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, On the night of June 16, 2003, members of G Squadron SAS and B squadron Delta Force captured Saddam Hussein personal secretary who was ranked fourth most important HVT (High Valued Target) in Tikrit, where British intelligence had traced him to. He was captured in a joint helicopter and ground assault without resistance or casualties and was considered a highly successful operation.[30]
- Operation Paradoxical, was authorised in the summer of 2003 and lasted until winter of that year when the SAS were placed under the command of the Chief of Joint Operations in Northwood. The broadly drawn operation was for the SAS to hunt down threats to the coalition, they are known to have operated covertly in Ramadi and Fallujah in October and November 2003 and other more remote parts of Al Anbar Province. In A Squadrons four-month deployment in 2003 they carried out 85 missions.
- Operation Abalone, on the night of 31 October 2003, Two dozen members of A Squadron (G Squadron left Iraq in August) assaulted three compounds/dwellings on the outskirts of Ramadi where US intelligence had tracked a Sudanese jihadist who was facilitating Islamist militants into Iraq. The SAS were supported by Delta Force and a platoon of US Bradley IFV's, in the assault one of the dwellings, a team of SAS operators were wounded by an RPG-7 rocket, after regrouping, a Bradley IFV destroyed the building and then Delta force assaulted it whilst the more seriously wounded operators were evacuated. After a brief firefight with insurgents the operation was a success, although they did not find the Sudanese jihadist, he's believed to have been killed with a dozen other insurgents, they also captured 4 foreign insurgents, Corporal Ian Plank who had been attached to A Squadron from the SBS was killed, he was the first UKSF combat fatality in the Iraq War.[31]
- Basra prison incident, 2005, two undercover Special Air Service soldiers who were operating in Basra as part of Operation Hathor were captured by Iraqi police after it was alleged they opened fire on a police check point. The British army used tanks to encircle the prison they were being held at and after nightfall members of A Squadron SAS stormed the house the prisoners had been moved to and rescued the captured operatives. According to the governor of Basra province, Mohammed al-Waili, the British had used "more than ten tanks backed by helicopters" to carry out the raid. After the British army left, around 150 other prisoners fled the prison.[32][33] On 25 December 2006, the SAS again raided the Al Jameat station, killing seven gunmen and freeing 127 prisoners being held by Shia militias there. They then blew up the building.[34] A British Army spokesperson stated that the 127 prisoners freed had been tortured and that there were fears that they were about to be executed.[35][36]
- 2005 Royal Air Force Hercules shootdown, 2005, Iraqi insurgents shot down an RAF Hercules flying out of Baghdad in January 2005, in response to this G Squadron of the 22nd SAS Regiment immediately began hunting down the insurgents responsible, after a long intelligence operation that led to operations later in that year the SAS captured those some of those responsible.[37]
- Task Force Black, 2004–2008, the new UKSF mission and deployment was codenamed Operation Crichton, a title that would remain in use until 2009 and the new UKSF codename for their in Iraq was known as "Task Force Black".[38] An SAS team worked jointly with American Delta Force in a secret war against Al Qaeda and other insurgents based in Iraq. The Task Force size was roughly around 150 personnel[39] and their "Black Ops" operation claimed to have cleared 3,500 insurgents off the streets with "several hundred" of them believed to have been killed. 6 SAS soldiers had also been killed and 30 injured in the Operation.[40] General Stanley McChrystal, the American commander of NATO forces in Iraq, has commented on A Squadron 22 SAS Regiment; that when part of Task Force Black and Task Force Knight, carried out 175 combat missions during a six-month tour of duty.[40] In the early months of 2004, the SAS used their capabilities in reconnaissance and surveillance to watch suspects and develop/gather intelligence for the coalition intelligence services. The SAS operational process in Baghdad was known as find-fix-finish, working backwards with the 'finish' part being a raid to take down a suspect, 'fix' involved pinpointing a time and place which a target can be taken and 'find' would be finding the insurgent/terrorist. In this period they almost captured/killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq when they assaulted a house in Baghdad; after forcing entry they withdrew when they discovered a booby trap, they still managed to overwhelm the occupants of the building and captured intelligence revealed Zarqawi had left a short time before. By early 2005, the SAS supplemented their land rover and Snatch vehicles with M1114 Humvee's for better protection, by late 2005, British commanders decided that the SAS would do six month tours of duty that was officially confirmed in March 2006. Due to the Basra Prison incident in which the name of the UKSF forces in Iraq 'Task force Black' was leaked to the press; the force was renamed 'Task force Knight'[41] During the Spring and summer of 2007 the SAS suffered several men seriously wounded as it extended its operations into Sadr City.[42] With Al-Qaeda surging in April 2007, Delta Force and Task Force Knight (in particular A squadron 22nd SAS) began conducting operations in Baghdad nearly every night, they also changed their uniforms from their desert DPM's to a new camouflage called Crye Precision. They also focused operations on takedowns of Shia and Sunni militants as well as Al-Qaeda bomb makers in May and June 2007, between May and November A squadron arrested 338 people and killed 88.[43]
- Operation Aston, February 2004, operators from B Squadron of 22 SAS, assaulted a house in southern Baghdad that MI6 intelligence showed was part of a 'jihadist pipeline' from Iran to Iraq that American and British intelligence agencies were tracking suspects on and these suspects fell in with a jihadist group. Just before the SAS assaulted the house they were compromised by locals and a firefight with the jihadist ensued, the SAS pressed on and assaulted the house, killing two and capturing two foreign jihadist, one SAS operator was wounded.[44]
- Operation Marlborough, July 2005, SAS sniper teams of Task Force Black killed 3 insurgents.
- Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis, 23 March 2006, B squadron of 22 SAS led an operation as part of Task Force Black to free British and Canadian peace activists in Baghdad. The release effort was part of Operation Lightwater; the intelligence agencies and SAS initiated the operation with the aim of finding the hostages which involved raiding houses and arresting suspects almost every day and night. The total number of building raids amounted to 50, 44 of them being conducted British special forces which in total detained 47 people[45][46]
- Operation Larchwood 4, 16 April 2006, that night, operators from B squadron and a platoon of British paratroopers launched the operation that was aimed at mid-level Al-Qaeda leadership, it had been developed out of raids carried out on previous days by Delta Force and the SAS against AQI in the outskirts of Baghdad, killing at least 7 insurgents. B squadron inserted by helicopter and assaulted the terrorist-occupied farmhouse on the outskirts of Yusufiyah whilst the paratroopers set up a cordon, soon after entering the house a firefight broke out and 3 SAS operators were wounded by gunfire, the SAS regrouped and continued to assault the house but two more were wounded. However the SAS overcame this setback and took the house and the combined force killed a total of 5 terrorists and captured five men and several women and children, it also gathered valuable intelligence on Al Qaeda in Iraq including its leader.[47]
- On 15 April 2007, G squadron of the SAS assaulted a house near Taji containing a suspected Sunni insurgent leader in the early hours, whilst inserting by helicopter two RAF Pumas collided, two SAS operators and an RAF crewman were thrown from one of the Puma and crushed by it as it rolled onto its side, two died but one SAS operator was saved, several others were wounded by flying debris.[48]
- On 6 September 2007, a 30-man SAS team from A squadron, supported by paras from Task Force Maroon part of Task Force Black assaulted a house in Baghdad that intel had pinpointed as the location of a senior Al-Qaeda figure and/or a Sunni group. The mission was a success with at least one insurgent killed, but it cost the life of one of the SAS servicemen; Sergeant Eddie Collins.[49][50][51]
- On 20 November 2007, A squadron, backed up by paras, attacked Sunni insurgents in Salman Pak from RAF Puma and Lynx helicopters, after engaging them from the air one Puma began inserting its SAS team when it crashed which trapped and killed two SAS men.[52]
- In early 2008, B Squadron of TF Knight performed a nighttime parachute assault into Anbar province from a C-130, their target was a man counterfeiting dollar bills for Al-Qaeda, after landing they assaulted the targets house and "got" their target.[53]
- On 26 March 2008, B Squadron were once again called upon to hit a terrorist bomb makers house in the early hours, after trying to call him out and receiving no responded they stormed the house, they received a hail of fire and four men were wounded and a terrorist from another building joined in the firefight. With Helicopter support, they pressed on and the SAS chased their targets into another house who used civilians as hostages who were then accidentally killed beside the terrorists, One SAS operator; Sergeant Nick Brown, was killed.[54]
- In September 2006, an SAS detachment operating in southern Iraq known as 'Hathor' carried out a raid on the residence of an important member of Al Qaeda international network called Omar al-Faruq in Basra, following an intelligence tip off. Faruq opened fire on the assault force and was killed, the operation was an intelligence coup and underlined the value of the detachment.
- In November 2006, during an assault on a building block occupied by insurgents in Basra by 'Hathor' detachment, Sergeant Jon Hollingsworth of D squadron who had been detached to 'Hathor' was leading his team when he was shot and he died of his wound not long afterwards.[55]
- Operation Dover, December 2006, a team from G Squadron stormed a building in northern Basra and apprehended an insurgent cell and its leader whom were responsible for carrying a bomb attack on the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra in November that killed 2 soldiers and 2 Royal Marines, video of the attack and other intelligence was gathered.[56]
- Operation Traction 2, early 2007, was aimed at driving Shia militants particularly in the southern Iraq. G squadron was deployed to Basra in mid-March 2007 and 'Hathor detachment was upgraded and renamed 'Task Force Spartan'. They immediately began gathering intelligence and on the night of 20 March 2007 G squadron raided a house in Basra containing Qais Khazali; a senior Shia militant and arrested him along with his brother and his Lebanese advisor without casualties and gained valuable intelligence. 'Task Force Spartan' was disbanded when British forces pulled out of Basra in 2007.[57]
Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa
- Members of the SAS and the SRR were deployed to Djibouti as part of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa to conducting operations against Islamist terrorists in Somalia; they have carrying out surveillance missions of Britons believed to be travelling to Somalia for terrorist training and they are also working with US counterparts observing and "targeting" local terror suspects. They have also been carrying out a similar role in Yemen.[58][59]
- 2011 military intervention in Libya, an early operation was conducted by E-Squadron of UK special forces; consisting of elements from the SAS, SBS and MI6.[60] This was to contact the Libyan rebel and opposition leaders, however the mission was a failure after the team was captured and held prisoner for 72 hours by Libyan rebels.[61]
- Operation Ellamy, a BBC news broadcast on 19 Jan 2012 revealed that the SAS had, in fact been redeployed to Libya as part of the larger British deployment, in a joint operation with French and Qatari special forces. The programme explained that 20 members of D Squadron 22 SAS were in the East of Libya, operating in small groups in places like Misrata and Brega by August. They assisted in training, coordinating and commanding opposition groups on and off the front line, and they were very active directing NATO airstrikes.[60] It was also alleged that 22 SAS were leading the hunt for Gaddafi after the Battle of Tripoli.[62]
Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
- Operation Shader,In August 2014, the SAS were reported to be on the ground gathering intelligence and helping with the evacuation of Yazidi refugees from the Sinjar mountains[63][64] At least one full squadron have been deployed to Iraq.and have reportedly been helping Kurdish forces in northern Iraq.[65][66] Sources say that SAS and US Special Forces fought alongside Kurdish forces during Siege of Kobane in Syria.[67][68]
- May 2015 U.S. special forces raid in Syria, On May 15 after surveillance by the SAS who confirmed the presence of a senior leader of ISIL/ISIS named Abu Sayyaf in al-Amr in Deir Ezzor, who was then killed in a US Special forces raid.[69]
See also
Citations
- ↑ Shortt & Mcbride (1981), The Special Air Service, Osprey Publishing, p. 15, retrieved 9 October 2013
- ↑ Shortt & Mcbride (1981), The Special Air Service, Osprey Publishing, p. 18, retrieved 9 October 2013
- ↑ "SAS in Malaya". britains-smallwars. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- 1 2 Mike Ryan (15 Aug 2003), Secret Operations of the SAS, Motorbooks International, retrieved 8 October 2013
- ↑ de B. Taillon, p.30
- ↑ "Borneo 1964–65". britains-smallwars. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ↑ Leroy Thompson (5 December 1994), SAS: Great Britain's Elite Special Air Service, Motorbooks International, retrieved 8 October 2013
- ↑ Lord Ashcroft (25 November 2008). "Special forces heroes: A unique type of valour, a rare kind of courage". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
- ↑ The Falklands 1982, britains-smallwars, retrieved 8 October 2013
- ↑ Falklands War: SAS role in the conflict, BBC, retrieved 8 October 2013
- ↑ "The SAS raid on the airfield at Pebble Island – 14 May 1982 at the RAF website". Retrieved 2013-10-08.
- ↑ "Mount Kent". Retrieved 2013-10-08.
- ↑ Bowyer Bell, J. (1997). The Secret Army: The IRA. Transaction Publishers, pp. 487–488. ISBN 1-56000-901-2
- ↑ Ten cases of special forces in action – BBC News, 5 May 2011.
- ↑ Three IRA members shot dead in Gibraltar – BBC.
- ↑ 'The SAS broke the rules of war' – BBC, 28 January 2009.
- ↑ Community 'demands truth' about Clonoe SAS ambush – Molloy – tyronetimes, 3 February 2012.
- ↑ "How Elite Squad Pounced" by Conor Hanna. Daily Mirror, 28 March 1997
- ↑ Special Air Service (SAS) – VICTOR TWO, eliteukforces.info, retrieved 8 October 2013
- ↑ Operation Tango – The SAS Arrest War Criminals, eliteukforces.info, retrieved 8 October 2013
- ↑ Operation Ensue – The SAS Arrest Stevan Todorovic, eliteukforces.info, retrieved 8 October 2013
- ↑ Kiley, Sam (6 December 2001). "SAS in battle at Tora Bora". London: London Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ↑ Pierce, Andrew (9 Sep 2009). "Army anger as soldier killed saving journalist who ignored Taliban warning". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ↑ Palvadori, Matty. "How SAS rescued hostages from Taliban caves".
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.8–9
- ↑ MARK NICOL (23 February 2013). "Revealed:The SAS secret mission to kill in Iraq BEFORE MPs voted to invade". Daily Mail. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ↑ "SAS Gulf War 2 Raid Revealed". eliteukforces. 2013-02-25. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012, ISBN 978-1250006967, p.10–13
- ↑ British Special Forces – Gulf War 2
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012, ISBN 978-1250006967, p.17
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.20–21, p.26–31, p.88
- ↑ "British soldiers free two from Basra jail". USA Today. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- ↑ "British tanks storm Basra jail to free undercover soldiers" (20 September 2005). The Guardian.
- ↑ "British troops attack Iraqi police station in Basra" (25 December 2006). International Herald Tribune.
- ↑ "Discussions to follow Basra raid" (26 December 2006). BBC News.
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.95–106
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.73
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.43
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.270
- 1 2 Rayment, Sean (30 August 2008). "Gen Stanley McChrystal pays tribute to courage of British special forces". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.49, p.71–72, p.115–116
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.232
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.236–244, p.250, p.253, p.257
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.56–57
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.122–123, p.128, p.130
- ↑ Meo, Nick; Evans, Michael; McGrory, Daniel (25 March 2006). "Army's top general attacks Kember for failing to thank SAS rescue team". The Times (London). Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.138–146
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.234–235
- ↑ "SAS member killed in undercover raid". The Guardian (London). 7 September 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.254
- ↑ TASK FORCE BLACK, eliteukforces.info, retrieved 8 October 2013
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.255–256
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.259–260
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.259–261
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.199–201
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.197–198, p.202
- ↑ Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 ISBN 978-1250006967, p.192, p.222–225, p.275
- ↑ "Cargo bomb plot: SAS hunting al-Qaeda in Yemen". the telegraph. 2 November 2010.
- ↑ "UK and US spend millions to counter Yemeni threat". the independent. 30 October 2010.
- 1 2 Urban, Mark (19 January 2012). "SAS on ground during Libya crisis". BBC (London). Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ↑ Rayment, Sean (6 Mar 2011). "Libya: SAS mission that began and ended in error". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ↑ Harding, Thomas (19 January 2012). "Libya: SAS leads hunt for Gaddafi". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ↑ "US troops land on Iraq's Mt Sinjar to plan for Yazidi evacuation". the guardian. 13 August 2014.
- ↑ "SAS sent in to Iraq as US troops land on Mount Sinjar". the telegraph. 13 August 2014.
- ↑ "More British troops set for Iraq training". The Telegraph. 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "British special forces join fighters on Isil front line". The Telgraph. 30 September 2014.
- ↑ http://www.eliteukforces.info/uk-military-news/28102014-sas-fac-kobane.php
- ↑ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/sas-wage-secret-war-against-6004262
- ↑ "SAS 'took part in Abu Sayyaf Isil raid in Syria'". The Telegraph. 9 August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
Bibliography
- de B. Taillon, J. Paul (2000). The evolution of special forces in counter-terrorism,The British and American Experiences. Greenwood. ISBN 02-7596-9-223.
- Ryan, Mike (2003). Secret Operations of the SAS. Motorbooks International. ISBN 07-60-31414-4.
- Shortt, James; McBride, Angus (1981). The Special Air Service. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-396-8.
- Thompson, Leroy (1994). SAS: Great Britain's Elite Special Air Service. Motorbooks International. ISBN 08-79-3894-00.