Posted on 09/16/2001 4:49:51 PM PDT by oxi-nato
THE SAS is expected to play a leading role in any future ground action in Afghanistan because of its unique experience training with Pakistani forces in the mountains bordering the country harbouring Osama bin Laden. A special unit of the SAS called the Revolutionary World Warfare (RWW) wing has been engaged in mountain training in Pakistan for at least five years. It has built up the sort of expertise that will be crucial in any US-led ground attack to capture or eliminate bin Laden, named as the chief suspect in the New York and Washington attacks, in the harsh terrain of southern Afghanistan, where he runs his terrorist training camps.
It has also trained at altitudes of up to 18,000ft and developed excellent working relations with Pakistani special forces. That may also help towards encouraging Islamabad to offer bases to America for a future ground campaign in Afghanistan. The RWW unit was first into Kosovo at the end of Nato’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999 and is likely to be among the first to enter Afghanistan if President Bush goes ahead with some form of ground attack.
There is already a large SAS force in Oman, preparing to take part in Exercise Saif Sareea with Omani troops. The whole of A Squadron of the SAS has been sent to Oman for the exercise. Acclimatisation training has already begun and the presence of 20,000 British tri-Service military personnel in the Gulf is helping planners in Britain in their work.
The US Administration has made clear that any military action to counter the threat from bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist organisation will include ground troops and could involve attacks on more than just Afghanistan, if other countries are seen to be harbouring the Saudi dissident’s agents. Iraq is not at present on the list. Richard Cheney, the US Vice-President, and Colin Powell, the Secretary of State, said yesterday that there was as yet no evidence linking the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon to Baghdad.
As a further sign of Britain’s expected participation in any military operation, the Joint Force Headquarters, which runs British tri-Service missions, has been ordered not to go to Oman to take charge of Exercise Saif Sareea. In another move, Lieutenant-General Sir Anthony Pigott, Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations), leaves for Washington today to consult the Pentagon over what Britain can offer for a future military operation.
In the Gulf, the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise will be joined this week by a second carrier battle group, headed by the aircraft carrier USS Vinson, providing President Bush with formidable firepower, including many Tomahawk cruise missiles. Although Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, has made clear that America is not planning to limit a future attack to using Tomahawks or other precision-guided missiles, any sudden intelligence of bin Laden’s whereabouts could lead to a decision for an instant missile attack. A ground-launched operation is likely to take weeks to prepare and will need bases close to Afghanistan. Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan, cast doubt on whether Mr Bush could rely on its bases for launching a military attack.
Mr Rumsfeld said that American special forces would be in the forefront of any military operation. They include the US Army’s Green Berets, who were modelled on the SAS. When the US struck back at the terrorist networks behind last week’s attacks, “a lot of it will be special operations”, Mr Rumsfeld said. The US has 40,000 special forces personnel, who come under the Special Operations Command. Other units likely to be used are the Rangers, who had a disastrous campaign in Somalia when 18 were killed while trying to capture a Somali warlord.
They are competent beyond belief.
This might be a great time for Britain to "get their own back" after the humiliation at the Khyber Pass over a century ago.
Haven't we learned enough about the pseudo-value of spectacular fireworks vs. actually destroying the enemy?
Not quite. Delta was originally modelled on the SAS and trained by some of them.
But there are no peers for the SAS.
Except, perhaps, the Second Amendment Sisters....
Wtih the French as allies ( and the germans, norwegians,...), you don't need any enemies.
The Prez did say something about "any country" providing support to terrorists, didn't he?
As my 26 years in military service taught me, pretty uniforms and badges and titles don't mean squat to those who've never seen em .
They will hold all warriors accountable in combat. Do not underestimate these folks, as I'm sure the best of the best we possess will not either........
Just my opinion of course......Regards.
The US and SAS forces will be hailed as heros by the long suffering anti-Taleban forces.
From there a military drive south to Kabul, the pitiful capital of that tortured nation. The people of Kabul will be ecstatic at its liberation. You cannot imagine what the Taleban has been doing in the way of brutal repression.
Then a military drive further to the South, where bin Ladin himself has his camps, strongholds, and bases. Some (but not all) of the fanatics will put up a fierce fight before joining Allah.
But the war will not end in Afganistan.
There are probably hundreds of moles in the US who are waiting for the opportunity to commit mass murder, and obviously becoming increasingly sophisticated. The war will end where it began, in the US, when we as a nation decide to protect our borders and systematically root out the bloodthirsty sleeper fanatics.
Stay Safe
Old boy, you evidently have not been introduced to the SBS (Special Boat Squadron)of the Royal Marines.
I am reluctant to state categorically that Iran should be a target; they have been acting a lot more civilized in the last few years. But they have been the eye of the storm of Islamic extremism, and they too will have a large segment of their population eager and ready to have the extremists destroyed. (In fact, I suggest we put together a "political operations force" made up of Iranian-born Americans and second-generation Americans of Iranian descent, to move in and establish a "free Iran" government.
Iraq should either be next or contemporaneous with operations in Iran.
Soldier, and sailor too. Are they the ones that did the Birkenhead drill?
/john
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