The Daily Telegraph is carrying interesting articles on the expanding role of the SAS in Afghanistan.
ALLIED commanders want the Special Air Service to provide one of the lead assault teams for the attack on Tora Bora, the mountain cave complex where Osama bin Laden is expected to make his final stand. Gen Tommy Franks, the operational commander of US forces involved in the Afghan campaign, made the decision after a series of spectacularly successful operations conducted by British special forces in the past fortnight.
I cannot help wondering if the Brits have not just won the booby prize. Hunting terrorists in a cave complex? That is certainly not my idea of jolly japes.
It is also reported that the Brits will be reinforced by their comrades in the Australian SAS and the New Zealand SAS. Given the somewhat different operational philosophies of the British/Commonwealth SAS and the US SpecOps groups, there is considerable scope for valuable synergies. The sheer range of experience, specialist skills, equipment and capabilities that these groups collectively represent is tremendous. As a result, the range of tactical options available must present Taliban/Al Qaeda with an appalling defensive dilemma on every level.
A lot of utter tosh has been written by the small but loud and malodorous nitwit faction within British BigMedia(tm) (such as the cretinous Daily Mail), who seem to be suggesting the SAS would win the war single handed. To that end “sources said” the Brits were making sure they did not end up having to work the inept US special forces and thus were operating in completely separate operational areas from the Yanks. Completely ludicrous of course. During the messy prison revolt in Mazar-i-Sharif, who should be filmed operating together, as in literally next to each other, M4 rifles in hand, by the excellent SkyNews team? British SAS and American Delta commandos naturally. And people wonder why I say the Daily Mail is best employed in cat litter trays.
There is also an article about the ‘new’ British L115A .338 calibre sniper rifle being used by the SAS in Afghanistan. They are quite correct that it is a superb weapon: the combination of rugged Arctic optimised construction, outstanding ballistics and sub-MOA accuracy makes it ideal for poaching Al Qaeda members… but with all due respect to the Daily Telegraph, the ‘new’ L115A is just a re-barreled L96A1. It has been on the civilian market in the fearsome .338 Lapua for several years.
