British SAS in Somalia?

[Gringo]

http://www.paknews.com/main.php?id=10&date1=2002-01-29


LONDON, Jan 29 (PNS): British special forces have entered Somalia
twice in recent weeks to hunt for members of Osama Bin Laden's al-
Qaeda network, a British Sunday paper reported, quoting a senior
British army source.

Two teams of six soldiers from Britain's Special Air Service (SAS)
infiltrated into the Somali bush to locate up to four individuals
wanted by Washington and London, the Sunday Times reported.

They were probably sent in using stealth helicopters and operated
day and night, setting up temporary observations posts by day, the
source added.

"Most of the effort there so far has been intelligence based, but
there have been a handful of these sorts of operations," the unnamed
source said.

Britain and the US started operations in Somalia as early as last
October, the paper said, adding that details of possible targets
were being fed back to Washington and London.


Me thinks it's rubbish.

[cut]

I'll look for it on the sunday times but I suspect you are right

[-Max2-]

They were probably sent in using stealth helicopters and operated
day and night

Stealth helicopters ? :roll:

[DeltaWhisky58]

They were probably sent in using stealth helicopters and operated
day and night

Stealth helicopters ? :roll:

This is truly incredible - where are these stealth helos..............what was the name of this Sundat Times journo - Hans Christian Andersen? rofl

Is stealth helicopters another name for size 9 Matterhorns?

[cut]

it's two years old too, jan 2002

[Gringo]

ROFL rofl

I wonder what that guy was thinking sending this article to me today when it's that bloody old.

[steel bonnet]

Yes STEALTH helicopters...You never seen BLUE THUNDER or AIRWOLF ???? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ja
Steel Bonnet

[Backis]

Yeah, considering the radar coverage kept up by the Somalis stealth helicopters were the way to go! :roll:

:lol:

[Rilence]

rofl stealth helos lol probably mean there made to look civil but really there fo SAS j/k :|

[DeltaWhisky58]

Yes STEALTH helicopters...You never seen BLUE THUNDER or AIRWOLF ???? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ja
Steel Bonnet

You're watching too much TV Ja! rofl

[usa320]

I know for a fact that Coalition forces ARE operating in Somalia, but this story, specifically the part about stealth helicopters are completeley and utterly wrong. The only stealth helicopter ever made was the RAH-66, and we know what happened to that program.

[Rilence]

yes yes???

[martinexsquaddie]

there probably my plt sgts stealth helicopters. as in today we will be moving by invisable helicopter so invisable we can't find them get tabbing
trust me its really funny by day 5 :(

[CX20]

Sorry boys and girls but the lads are operating inside Somalia, and have been doing so for quite some time since early 2002. The part about the stealth helicopters and six-man teams is rubbish though. All I'm saying is that far more realistic/practical "cover story" options have been used. Some of the lads had their cover blown at the beginning of their return journey.

Don't ask me how I know, then I won't have to lie to you. p-)

[usa320]

i concur with what he said.

[Tane Angle]

Hey CX20, nice to hear from you. I was wondering the other day where you've been. Hope all is well over there.

[ogukuo72]

there probably my plt sgts stealth helicopters. as in today we will be moving by invisable helicopter so invisable we can't find them get tabbing
trust me its really funny by day 5 :(

I can almost imagine the scenario:

Officer: I don't care what you say! That damn gigantic fan above us is give us away. It's too noisy. We're supposed to be stealthy. Now, switch that damn thing off!

[Gringo]

Sorry boys and girls but the lads are operating inside Somalia, and have been doing so for quite some time since early 2002. The part about the stealth helicopters and six-man teams is rubbish though. All I'm saying is that far more realistic/practical "cover story" options have been used. Some of the lads had their cover blown at the beginning of their return journey.

Don't ask me how I know, then I won't have to lie to you. p-)

Well since the newspaper was making such crap assumptions lie "stealth helicopters" and "six-man teams", I'd think it would be bull****.

The newspapers were making up some crap about what that the SAS was doing in Afghanistan, for example that so-called cave battle Tora Bora. And the newspapers screaming out for the RSM getting a VC for his "knife battle" with Al Qaida terrorists.

[Royal]

Well since the newspaper was making such crap assumptions lie "stealth helicopters" and "six-man teams", I'd think it would be bull****.

The newspapers were making up some crap about what that the SAS was doing in Afghanistan, for example that so-called cave battle Tora Bora. And the newspapers screaming out for the RSM getting a VC for his "knife battle" with Al Qaida terrorists.

Don't spout **** about **** you know **** about.

6 man teams - nothing unusual about that in modern SF Ops.

The RSM of 22 in 2001/2 was put up for a VC. It was declined, although he received a lower decoration.

[ShotOver]

Bravo 2 0, was an 8 man team wasnt it?

So 6 isnt out of the question.

[CX20]

I'm not saying that larger teams are totally out of the question, just all of the accounts I've heard involved 4 man teams.

The last account I heard was of a 4 man team team coming back from Somalia trying to book onto a military aircraft under their cover story. Needless to say they were caught. p-)

[CX20]

Hi Tane, hows it going? I'm very busy as usual, at work 95% of the time, only getting about 1-2 days off in a two week stretch. Lots of call outs but then again nothing's new!

[FRO]

Here's an honest question that is kind of peripherally related to this topic.

Background: I've read a few articles relating to the Increment, which seems to be an SIS version of the CIA SOG, but protected under 1994's Intelligence Services Act. There seems to be little information floating about regarding the Increment, and certainly nothing concrete.

Question: Two-fold really. First, for those in the know, is there anything to talk of an SIS SOG called the Increment. Second, would this be the kind of mission such a unit would undertake?

Now, based on standard traffic on this board, I stand ready to be flamed for not being a hard-fighting, lead-spitting special operator (read 15-yeard old tapping away at the keyboard in a dark corner of the basement). I am not, nor have I ever been, a member of the special operation community. I only play one on TV.
:D

[Royal]

Here's an honest question that is kind of peripherally related to this topic.

Background: I've read a few articles relating to the Increment, which seems to be an SIS version of the CIA SOG, but protected under 1994's Intelligence Services Act. There seems to be little information floating about regarding the Increment, and certainly nothing concrete.

Question: Two-fold really. First, for those in the know, is there anything to talk of an SIS SOG called the Increment. Second, would this be the kind of mission such a unit would undertake?

Now, based on standard traffic on this board, I stand ready to be flamed for not being a hard-fighting, lead-spitting special operator (read 15-yeard old tapping away at the keyboard in a dark corner of the basement). I am not, nor have I ever been, a member of the special operation community. I only play one on TV.
:D

You've quoted the ISA. I'll quote the OSA - If you don't know, you don't need to know.

[Gringo]

Well since the newspaper was making such crap assumptions lie "stealth helicopters" and "six-man teams", I'd think it would be bull****.

The newspapers were making up some crap about what that the SAS was doing in Afghanistan, for example that so-called cave battle Tora Bora. And the newspapers screaming out for the RSM getting a VC for his "knife battle" with Al Qaida terrorists.

Don't spout **** about **** you know **** about.

6 man teams - nothing unusual about that in modern SF Ops.

The RSM of 22 in 2001/2 was put up for a VC. It was declined, although he received a lower decoration.

You've mis understood what I meant. I am aware the SAS does operate in any bloody number they like. I'm talking about how the newspaper knew how many there was in Somalia.
And that kind of talk was uncalled for, mate. :(

[Sabre]

They were probably sent in using stealth helicopters and operated
day and night

I think they are referring to the 'low flying Heli-Bedford' used to insert such SF units as 137 (Cadet Det Gren Gds) into 'hot LZs'.

Seriously though, six man teams are being adopted in modern UKSF quite regularly.


PT wrote:
Bravo 2 0, was an 8 man team wasnt it?

So 6 isnt out of the question


I think the issue was the fact that the basic building block is the four man team (or the two man brick, depending on what you think), so six is something most 'armchair SF' are unfamiliar with.

[Sabre]

Oh, yeah. The 'operated day and night' bit is a prime example of media types not realising literary diarrhoea when they are writing it.

Is that as opposed to operating during the day and ceasing to exist at night?

Appologies Gringo, didn't read your post explaining your mocking of their level of detailed knowlege.

[FRO]

You've quoted the ISA. I'll quote the OSA - If you don't know, you don't need to know.

Curses, foiled again! Well played, Mr. Bond.

Wait a minute, if you need to quote the OSA then the Increment must exist because otherwise it wouldn't be a secret.

Wait another minute . . . did that make any sense at all? I've got to stop that.

Thanks anyway Royal. :)

[usa320]

6 man teams arent all that uncommon anymore...

[ogukuo72]

Bravo 2 0, was an 8 man team wasnt it?

So 6 isnt out of the question.

6 is not inconceivable, but since a 'stick' is 4 persons, multiples of 4's are more likely - hence Bravo 20 had 8 (2 * 4).

[ShotOver]

Yeah, that makes sence.