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| Iraq |
| 300 SAS troops already in Iraq |
| 2003-03-04 |
| Several thousand allied special forces, including more than 300 SAS personnel, are already operating inside Iraq. Ssssssh, don't tell anyone, OK? This suggests that, despite efforts to secure a United Nations resolution backing force, the war has begun. Defence sources said last night that two SAS Sabre squadrons - about 240 men - plus more than 100 support troops were engaged in various parts of Iraq. The scale of the operations in the south and west is unprecedented. British special forces did not enter Iraq during the 1991 Gulf war until the ground offensive began. The men are part of joint special operations, which include more than 4,000 American and Australian special forces with headquarters in Qatar and bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Turkey. Their insertion into Iraq coincides with intensified air attacks. Hummm, I'd use an airstrike as cover myself. Iraq said yesterday that American and British aircraft killed six civilians and wounded 15 others in raids on Basra but Washington said the jets had struck military targets after coming under anti-aircraft fire. In the Commons, the Conservatives said that the action amounted to the "opening shots" in a new Gulf war. Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, told MPs that there had been "no substantial change" in activity but that patrols in the no-fly zones now involved "a broader range of aircraft". RAF aircraft have played only a supporting role in the latest attacks. Last September RAF and US air force patrols of the no-fly zones were turned into a de facto air war when a raid by 106 aircraft on the H3 air base in western Iraq signalled the start of an intensification of attacks aimed at destroying air defences. 106 aircraft? They must have counted every plane flying in the region as part of the strike package. The Telegraph disclosed in January that a team of 35 SAS men was operating in and out of western Iraq as part of a 100-strong allied force looking for Scud missile launchers that could be used to attack Israel. The special forces are now moving in and out of Iraq virtually at will, monitoring Iraqi oilfields west of Baghdad and in the north amid concern that Saddam Hussein will set fire to them in the event of an invasion. The priority of the SAS, which is being ferried back and forth by RAF Chinook helicopters normally based at Odiham, Hants, has been to ascertain Iraqi troop positions and confirm that targets selected from satellite photographs for the first attacks in any air war are not decoys. The troops have also been looking for suitable holding areas in south-western Iraq for the many Iraqi troops who are expected to give themselves up in the early phases of fighting. The allied plans involve a rapid advance across southern Iraq towards Baghdad from Kuwait and it is feared that this could be seriously delayed by the need to deal with large numbers of prisoners of war. "Youse guys sit over there, somebody will be along in a while to tell you what to do, OK? And no funny business, that plane up there is watching your every move." Other roles have included monitoring troop movements in the vast desert west of Baghdad and in the north around Saddam's home town of Tikrit, where senior commanders expect the Iraqis to put up stiff resistance. I think we should make a example of Tikrit, something along the lines of a Arc Light mission. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #8 Gurkha's are some of the meanest,baddest s.o.b's on the planet.Come-on in and welcome(be sure to bring those nasty ass knives). |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-03-05 08:33:38 |
| #7 I think the Gurkhas would do very nicely in Afganistan. They'd feel right at home. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-03-04 20:52:44 |
| #6 Gurkhas. Brrrrrrrr..... |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-03-04 17:12:48 |
| #5 They haven't sent in the Gurkhas because they dont want to inspire the general populace to break out in outright panic (just yet anyway). |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2003-03-04 15:38:45 |
| #4 The strike involved coordinated British and US aircraft for the first time in a long time. It also appears to have involved multiple entrance / egress routes, multiple ECM, etc. Practice for the real thing. Why haven't the Gurkha's been sent? I have to wonder if the pension mess has reduced their combat readiness. 300 of them are in Sierra Leone, but why haven't the rest been deployed? Maybe, primarily jungle fighters? |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-03-04 15:13:06 |
| #3 Regarding that strike by 106 aircraft, I seem to recall they were counting everything including the refueling tankers. Still, that's a hefty strike package, and I haven't heard much regarding H-3 since then. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-03-04 11:37:26 |
| #2 Well said, Dar. As for the SAS guys: Good luck, good hunting, and get home safe. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-03-04 11:25:49 |
| #1 I think we should make a example of Tikrit, something along the lines of a Arc Light mission. Martyr an entire city as an example to Saddam? That will sit well with the people we're supposed to be liberating when we obliterate a city. As the good guys in the white hats, we need to stick to targets of proven military value. We can make examples out of the Iraqi leaders--if any are left alive--afterwards. Think Nuremburg Trials. |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-04 11:13:02 |