Hi,
I read today that in December 2001 the British "SBS" ("Special Boat Service" - maritime equivalent of the more widely known "SAS") were minutes away from capturing Bin Laden but were ordered to stand down to allow US special forces to finish the job. Unfortunately this delay gave Bin Laden the time he needed to escape.
If this is true then surely this has to go down as one of the most short-sided and reckless decisions in history. Can anyone confirm if this is true or is it just a case of "America-bashing" by the British press?
Here's the quote:
"The differences between the way US and British special forces operate became clear early in the war on terror. In Afghanistan in December 2001 a four-man Special Boat Service (SBS) team was 20 minutes behind the fleeing Osama Bin Laden when it was ordered to let the Americans take over. By the time the US special operations troops arrived several hours later, Bin Laden had escaped."
And here's the source:
Secret war of the SAS - Times Online
I have to accept that the tone of the rest of the article is quite disparaging of the US military, which makes me suspicious of the Bin Laden claim. However, if true, it does make you wonder about how serious the US is about capturing Bin Laden. If the issue was to do with the British possibly refusing to hand him over if he faced a death sentence (which breaches British Human Rights legislation) I'm pretty sure they would have found a way to get around it. The British government would not have been given too hard a time by the press or the public if they had handed him over in contravention of such a law.
I read today that in December 2001 the British "SBS" ("Special Boat Service" - maritime equivalent of the more widely known "SAS") were minutes away from capturing Bin Laden but were ordered to stand down to allow US special forces to finish the job. Unfortunately this delay gave Bin Laden the time he needed to escape.
If this is true then surely this has to go down as one of the most short-sided and reckless decisions in history. Can anyone confirm if this is true or is it just a case of "America-bashing" by the British press?
Here's the quote:
"The differences between the way US and British special forces operate became clear early in the war on terror. In Afghanistan in December 2001 a four-man Special Boat Service (SBS) team was 20 minutes behind the fleeing Osama Bin Laden when it was ordered to let the Americans take over. By the time the US special operations troops arrived several hours later, Bin Laden had escaped."
And here's the source:
Secret war of the SAS - Times Online
I have to accept that the tone of the rest of the article is quite disparaging of the US military, which makes me suspicious of the Bin Laden claim. However, if true, it does make you wonder about how serious the US is about capturing Bin Laden. If the issue was to do with the British possibly refusing to hand him over if he faced a death sentence (which breaches British Human Rights legislation) I'm pretty sure they would have found a way to get around it. The British government would not have been given too hard a time by the press or the public if they had handed him over in contravention of such a law.
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