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SAS 'Blades' rescue 150: Crack helicopter commandos snatch terrified Britons from desert(Libya)
DailyMail ^

Posted on 02/26/2011 3:43:24 PM PST by nuconvert

SAS troops last night staged a dramatic evacuation of 150 civilian workers from the Libyan desert.

The Special Forces soldiers landed in two C130 Hercules military transport aircraft on a landing strip near remote oilfields south of the eastern port of Benghazi.

The SAS men – known as ‘blades’ because of their role at the sharp end of the mission – had flown from Malta’s Valletta airport, where, in meticulous detail, they planned the rescue of the stranded workers, many of them British.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: blades; brits; libya; sas
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Nice work!
1 posted on 02/26/2011 3:43:29 PM PST by nuconvert
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To: nuconvert

Not as impressive as the way Soetor0 sent a small catarmaran to save 3 Americans lol


2 posted on 02/26/2011 3:46:29 PM PST by omega4179
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To: ansel12; backhoe; CholeraJoe; Criminal Number 18F; DevSix; DJ Taylor; Future Snake Eater; ...

SOCOM Ping


3 posted on 02/26/2011 3:48:57 PM PST by ASA Vet (Natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. De Vattel)
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To: nuconvert

Long ago, I remember a similar mission. Iran. Jimmy’s forces. C-130, CH-53, etc......tragic. Things are in much better shape now.


4 posted on 02/26/2011 3:50:39 PM PST by Gaffer
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To: nuconvert

Libya is where they started.


5 posted on 02/26/2011 3:51:01 PM PST by Eternal_Bear
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To: nuconvert

Note to oil executive: Always build an airfield next to oil fields in unstable country.


6 posted on 02/26/2011 3:51:28 PM PST by RushingWater
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To: nuconvert

I bet those C-130s were crowded.


7 posted on 02/26/2011 3:52:51 PM PST by yarddog
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To: nuconvert

Great, while they’re at it, could they fly over to Iran and cap a few of the regime members there?


8 posted on 02/26/2011 3:57:45 PM PST by yup2394871293
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To: nuconvert

Meanwhile, Obama sends a bass boat to rescue Americans. What competence.


9 posted on 02/26/2011 3:59:41 PM PST by ozzymandus
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To: omega4179

Rescue mission: A ferry charted by the U.S. government docks in Malta after transporting U.S., French and Canadian citizens from Libya


10 posted on 02/26/2011 4:06:08 PM PST by GAB-1955 (I write books, love my wife, serve my nation, and believe in the Resurrection.)
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To: nuconvert
This isn't America's fight. The Libyan people have to win this on their own. Perhaps we can send fighters over to keep Gaddahfi’s jets and helicopters down, but that's all we should do.
11 posted on 02/26/2011 4:07:36 PM PST by GAB-1955 (I write books, love my wife, serve my nation, and believe in the Resurrection.)
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To: omega4179

The biggest losers were the Canadians. They chartered a plane, sent it to Libya, and then took off again before anyone could get on it. A total failure of planning, implementation, and execution.


12 posted on 02/26/2011 4:08:26 PM PST by PAR35
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To: nuconvert

now THAT is how you get things done in the modern world!!!!


13 posted on 02/26/2011 4:11:13 PM PST by freedombird (When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness. -A. DeTocqueville)
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To: ozzymandus
“Meanwhile, Obama sends a bass boat to rescue Americans. What competence.”

Yeah, for sure. And, still no carrier group in the Mediterranean. Go figure...

14 posted on 02/26/2011 4:15:18 PM PST by snoringbear (Government is the Pimp,)
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To: GAB-1955

“This isn’t America’s fight.”

It is America’s fight to evacuate her citizens in foreign countries when those governments descend into anarchy.

The Brits seem to have accomplished this flawlessly.


15 posted on 02/26/2011 4:15:36 PM PST by Rebelbase
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To: ASA Vet

Sweet....thanks for the ping friend.


16 posted on 02/26/2011 4:21:24 PM PST by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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To: nuconvert

What a contrast..in terms of size, Britain’s armed forces are a shadow of what they once were, but in terms of training and skill, they have few peers.

Before the SAS rescue operation, the Royal Navy sailed one of its warships into a Libyan port and evacuated the first contingent of Brits. Then, the SAS expertly handled the task of rescuing those oil workers in remote sections of the Libyan desert. And I’m quite certain the SAS “met no resistance.” Mummar’s thugs and mercs know that messing with the SAS is quick ticket to an early demise.

Meanwhile, Barry and Hillary rent a ferry to evacuate Americans from Libya, and it had to remain in port for several days before actually setting sail for Malta. Apparently, the U.S. Navy’s lone destroyer in the Med was elsewhere, and Obama was afraid to duplicate the British naval evacuation, lest he upset Qadhaffi and his good friend, “Calypso Louie” Farrakhan.

What many don’t realize is that the U.S. has a huge SOF presence in Djibouti. Not exactly a short flight to Libya, but the assets necessary for a rescue mission can be easily deployed from Djibouti to Malta, Sicily, Italy, or other locations in that region. MC-130s, AC-130s, HC-130s plus Green Berets, SEALs, Air Force pararescuemen, combat controllers (and more), just waiting for orders that never came.


17 posted on 02/26/2011 4:21:46 PM PST by ExNewsExSpook
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To: Rebelbase

No, the British mission was NOT flawless. They had to pray bribes to let airplanes land. The flights were delayed because the government dithered in dispatching. If there was a flawless operation, and I doubt it, it was the French operation.


18 posted on 02/26/2011 4:22:33 PM PST by GAB-1955 (I write books, love my wife, serve my nation, and believe in the Resurrection.)
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To: ozzymandus

At least it was probably earth friendly and powered by 100% ethanol. The citizens were lucky that the Kenyan bothered to do anything at all. Those missionaries on the yacht didn’t rate any help.


19 posted on 02/26/2011 4:30:40 PM PST by wally_bert (It's sheer elegance in its simplicity! - The Middleman)
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To: ExNewsExSpook

To be fair to the USN, they also probably have their hands full dealing with the situation in Egypt and the whole Iranians sending ships through the Suez Canal thing...


20 posted on 02/26/2011 4:37:28 PM PST by sinsofsolarempirefan
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