Revealed: SAS mission to kill a Baghdad suicide squad

This is a rare glimpse of the secret operations Special Forces units are conducting inside Iraq.

Telegraph.Co.Uk

The three terrorists were all killed by SAS snipers armed with specialist rifles. Each terrorist was wearing a suicide vest laden with commercial explosives. It is understood that they were intending to target cafes and restaurants frequented by members of the Iraqi security forces.

A 16-man unit of the SAS, acting on intelligence obtained by an Iraqi agent working for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), shot dead the would-be bombers in a combined SAS and American operation in July this year.

Details of the mission codenamed Operation Marlborough have remained secret until now - primarily because it was launched in the same week that a Metropolitan Police firearms unit in London shot dead Jean Charles de Menezes, a 27-year-old Brazilian electrician, in the mistaken belief that he was a suicide bomber.

It marked one of the most successful counter-insurgency operations undertaken by British forces since the start of the Iraq conflict. It is the first time it has become clear that the SAS is working with American special forces on a permanent basis in Iraq.

The troops were part of Task Force Black, the coalition's special forces unit based in Baghdad. It is composed of a squadron of SAS troopers and members of the Delta Force - the clandestine American army special forces unit - plus other elements of British and American forces. It acts on intelligence gathered by a network of Iraqi spies working for the CIA and MI6.

The unit only undertakes "black", or covert, operations and is one of the few coalition units in Iraq with the specific task of launching attacks against suicide bombers.

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Interesting, I wonder how many more suicide bombings Task Force Black has prevented.

[edit on 21/11/05 by JAK]

That is pretty sweet! You got to love those Special Forces.

I wonder what the reaction will be here at ATS, since it seems we have a lot of terrorist sympathizers here.

Gotta love it when a plan comes together. Saved possibly a hundred or more casualties, civilian or otherwise. Nice work SAS.

Thats good that they have released info on this.

Let us see what those that claimed those SAS troopers that were "arrested" a couple of months back were planting bombs have to say.

Like I said in that original thread, the guys were probably doing the opposite and gathering intel or countering an insurgent opperation, but they wouldn't listen and kept harping on that the SAS blows up children.

This is the right way to defend civilians - clean strikes. Tho i hope their intel is 100% before triggers are pulled.

On the side note - by some replays i can see political bull# continues.

Finally something on ATS about the war in Iraq that isnt another anti-war "messiahs" attempt at a second renaissance!!

This is really good to hear, I hope they brought in MOSSAD as well, those guys are the best their is in the middle east. Thats what I said in the beginning of the WAR in Iraq call in the MOSSAD; those guys are at home in this kind of environment.
Any way the CIA and MI6 should do well I suppose.

Seems a bit strange that the SAS are letting this out..mabye its just psyc warfare but seems strange that the SAS is letting people know of its operations.

The SAS seem to be getting more and more....press freidnly IMO these days...more so than the other SF units inside the MOD..

Most likely thier working in M troop...possibly also working with/for SRR....

Nice find...

Double post...

[edit on 26/02/2005 by devilwasp]

Originally posted by devilwasp
Seems a bit strange that the SAS are letting this out..mabye its just psyc warfare but seems strange that the SAS is letting people know of its operations.

The SAS seem to be getting more and more....press freidnly IMO these days...more so than the other SF units inside the MOD..

doubt it was the SAS themselves. more like high ranking officer telling the repoter, in hopes of shedding light on the SAS to show the war is winnable and that they are fighting in a "clean" successful way.

Why are they paired with delta force? I thought the green berets were the Army group with special forces snipers? Isn't delta force more often used for less sublte missions, snatch and grab, demolish a building, etc?

Originally posted by Nygdan
Why are they paired with delta force? I thought the green berets were the Army group with special forces snipers? Isn't delta force more often used for less sublte missions, snatch and grab, demolish a building, etc?

All special forces have snipers. Green Berets aren't really trained for missions such as these, they are more overt not covert.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Why are they paired with delta force? I thought the green berets were the Army group with special forces snipers? Isn't delta force more often used for less sublte missions, snatch and grab, demolish a building, etc?

Green Beret's? This was the UK SAS with the US Delta Force......

Yes R1 but I thought that those Phoenix groups were army special forces assasination squads, iow Green Berets?

Originally posted by Nygdan
Yes R1 but I thought that those Phoenix groups were army special forces assasination squads, iow Green Berets?

You mean ' Phoenix ' from Vietnam. Phoenix used the whole plethora of Spec ops in Nam - Green Berets, SOG, SASR, SEALS, LRRP's. The GB's were more well known from Robin Cook's book " The Green Berets " and the John Wayne movie made from the book.
The Green Berets in Nam were used primarily for hearts and minds ops with the local peoples; they often led local militia's against the VC and NVA.

Originally posted by Dronetek
That is pretty sweet! You got to love those Special Forces.

I wonder what the reaction will be here at ATS, since it seems we have a lot of terrorist sympathizers here.

A lot of terrorist supporters, or people who disagree with your point of view? Stop whining (creating) drama queen (troll). [Insert as appropiate]

Incidentally talking of the SAS revealing things, I thought this might be of interest?

SAS to reveal all for recruits

Members of the Hereford-based SAS are to reveal their faces for a series of television adverts in a bid to recruit more people in the Army.

It is the first time in 60 years that commanders have allowed troops under their control to get involved in a recruitment campaign.

Members of the Joint Special Forces Support Group will appear on posters and on television in the £4m appeal.

^^^ Interesting, especially as you can't join the SAS straight away, you have to be an infantryman first. I can't really understand the reasoning behind that myself

What are tha ads going to say ? These men are from the SAS, if you try really really hard you could join them ? lol

[edit on 21-11-2005 by rogue1]

Very nice

What could be more scary then dealing with SAS and DELTA hunting you down?

These guys are the best of the best, I can only hope that they are allowed to continue their good work.

Originally posted by rogue1
^^^ Interesting, especially as you can't join the SAS straight away, you have to be an infantryman first. I can't really understand the reasoning behind that myself

What are tha ads going to say ? These men are from the SAS, if you try really really hard you could join them ? lol

[edit on 21-11-2005 by rogue1]

You don't have to be Infantry to be in the SAS. My dad tried (and failed ) to get into the SAS and he was REME.

Originally posted by Mark Harris

Originally posted by Dronetek
That is pretty sweet! You got to love those Special Forces.

I wonder what the reaction will be here at ATS, since it seems we have a lot of terrorist sympathizers here.

A lot of terrorist supporters, or people who disagree with your point of view? Stop whining (creating) drama queen (troll). [Insert as appropiate]

^^^^ Implosion - Hmm nice informative post Anymore pearls of wisdom

stumason - REME, are they engineers or something else ?