SAS captured in Lybia

deise go deo

Libyan rebels have captured a British special forces unit in the east of the country after a secret diplomatic mission to make contact with opposition leaders backfired, Britain's Sunday Times reported. The team, understood to number up to eight SAS soldiers, were intercepted as they escorted a junior diplomat through rebel-held territory, the newspaper said....

....The SAS intervention apparently angered Libyan opposition figures, who ordered the soldiers locked up on a military base, according to the Sunday Times.

Opponents of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fear he could use any evidence of Western military intervention to rally patriotic support away from a two-week-old uprising against his 41-year autocratic rule.

Citing Libyan sources, the Sunday Times said the special forces troops were taken by rebels to Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and epicentre of the insurrection, and hauled before one of its most senior politicians for questioning.

Libyan rebels seize British SAS troops


The article goes on to state the SAS were escorting a British diplomat to make contact with the rebels, If this is the case then why were they captured? Surely the Rebels must have had some Idea that they were coming to make contact?

What ever the case however, the SAS have been embarrassed in this case.

Yakult

I thought they were released and on the HMS (something) going back to Malta?

BrianD

deise go deo wrote: »

Libyan rebels seize British SAS troops


The article goes on to state the SAS were escorting a British diplomat to make contact with the rebels, If this is the case then why were they captured? Surely the Rebels must have had some Idea that they were coming to make contact?

What ever the case however, the SAS have been embarrassed in this case.

That's of course if the story is true. The SAS were probably providing escort duties to this diplomat or may have just been the protection detail for an evacuation.

As there is no state of war and I'm sure the Brits want to avoid a hostile action they would have no option but to surrender. What's their option? Fight their way out? Not a chance.

BostonB

They wanted top make contact with the rebels. They made contact.

The only think that wasn't meant to happen was anyone find out about it.

Neither the British or the Rebels wanted that.

BigDuffman

Until I hear the details, I would refrain on saying how "embarassing" it is. Irregardless of the super soldier ability, a few SAS lads can do very little if a mob 1000 strong descends on them. Particularly if they were charged with protecting a civi as opposed to trying to fight out.

Tenger

deise go deo wrote: »

The article goes on to state the SAS were escorting a British diplomat to make contact with the rebels, If this is the case then why were they captured? Surely the Rebels must have had some Idea that they were coming to make contact?

I was guess they were escorting the diplomat, they made contact and were disarmed. Thus the British have fulfilled their mission of making contact and the rebels can claim to have 'captured' the foreign military.

For the rebels do not want to be viewed as in cahoots with foreign Western nations. This could undermine their popular support and allow Gadafy to call on Libyan nationalist sentiments.

And as said above the 8 man SAS squad wasn't going to go toe to toe with a battalion or more of Rebels. T And the UK obviously want to co-operate with the rebel forces.

EDIT: Irish Times now saying they have been allowed to leave. UK are going to go ahead with another delegation. Rebels say they entered Libya without permission, they are still a sovereign nation and will welcome diplomatic contact through normal channels.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0307/breaking29.html?via=rel

"Meanwhile, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, spokesman for the rebels’ provisional transitional national council, said: “The reason they were arrested is because they came into the country unofficially without previous arrangement with Libyan officials.
“Libya is an independent nation, and we have our borders that we expect to be respected.”
He added that there was “no crisis” between the council and Britain and that anti-Gadafy forces were “more than willing” to talk to any delegation sent “in a legitimate way”."

Locust

Its amazing what just a handful of these men can do. SAS history repeats time and time again, a few men in a crisis situation holding off hundreds of enemy/rebels... If it comes down to it. These guys live and train for all out war with the odds stacked against them.

That said, they were in Libya assisting a diplomat. Put yourself in the team leaders shoes... It doesn't make sense to your mission to start killing those your trying to talk to/work with. You complete the guts of your mission by laying down your weapons and letting the diplomat/specialists talk to them.

Steyr

See here: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=71014419&postcount=28

tricky D

Very likely not a diplomat so to speak. Foreign Office official is the public working title for an MI6 officer. Irish Times suggesting this too.

BostonB

Regardless, they made contact and are on way home.

Great story though.

maquiladora

Best article about this : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/07/sas-mi6-released-libya-rebels?CMP=twt_gu

BrianD

BostonB wrote: »

Regardless, they made contact and are on way home.

Great story though.

Farcical behaviour by the British leading to their men being captured. They really no option but to put their hands up.

Hopefully, when the British decide to talk to opposition parties here that they'll come in through normal channels rather than helicoptering into a field in the midlands.

Then for the British Ambassador to call the Rebel leader on a mobile line he knew to be insecure. Very convenient.

The Brits well over stepped the mark.

Wicklowrider

"Rafah and several other guards said they cooked the Britons eggs for breakfast and gave them bread and coffee. "

If you have to be captured, it would seem Libya is a pleasant place to be captured

muppet01

Locust wrote: »

Its amazing what just a handful of these men can do. SAS history repeats time and time again, a few men in a crisis situation holding off hundreds of enemy/rebels... If it comes down to it. These guys live and train for all out war with the odds stacked against them.

That said, they were in Libya assisting a diplomat. Put yourself in the team leaders shoes... It doesn't make sense to your mission to start killing those your trying to talk to/work with. You complete the guts of your mission by laying down your weapons and letting the diplomat/specialists talk to them.

Methinks you watch too much History channel.
The bulk of SAS/SBS missions are never heard of, never mind reported.The very fact that this made the press will be an embarresment to the unit.It is also inadvertently helping Gadaffi by showing alleged western influence in the countrys crisis.
A daylight helicopter trip and a civilian in tow does not really subscribe to a special forces SOP, possibly a lot more than we know at the moment.
The detection and detention of a SF team "in country" goes against the rule book of any unit and the team leader will face serious questions although i suspect planning and intelligence will prove to be the main factor.

Tenger

muppet01 wrote: »

Methinks you watch too much History channel.
The bulk of SAS/SBS missions are never heard of, never mind reported.The very fact that this made the press will be an embarresment to the unit.It is also inadvertently helping Gadaffi by showing alleged western influence in the countrys crisis.
A daylight helicopter trip and a civilian in tow does not really subscribe to a special forces SOP, possibly a lot more than we know at the moment.
The detection and detention of a SF team "in country" goes against the rule book of any unit and the team leader will face serious questions although i suspect planning and intelligence will prove to be the main factor.

I agree that the media attention may well be the embarrassing part of it for the unit themselves.

I assume that its pretty bad that the Guardian already know the name of their 'contact' and his place of work.

I would conjecture (and hope) that the team leader had very little part in the plan. This may well have been a Foreign Office op rather than military in planning or operation.

BostonB

Bit daft alright. It will probably appear in some book in the future.

Fratton Fred

there is an awful lot of talking to the press going on. its almost as if the whole thing has been staged.

muppet01

BostonB wrote: »

Bit daft alright. It will probably appear in some book in the future.

Bravo Tango Foxtrot sixer niner delta , a story of heroism under fire and torture maybe ....

in truth i think this willprove to be a massive cock up by people well above the special forces on the ground. it seems to be a off the cuff mission which was poorly planned .The biggest cock up is the fact that the UK decided to go alone without a UN /EU mandate or support therefore alienating it from future diplomocy with a new govt

xflyer

As several others alluded to, I think the 'capture' was staged in order for the rebel leaders to deny any collaboration with a western power. Possibly the meeting went well but they were somehow compromised so were forced into staging an 'incident'.

We may find out the truth in time. Certainly some interesting stories to be told there.

BrianD

xflyer wrote: »

As several others alluded to, I think the 'capture' was staged in order for the rebel leaders to deny any collaboration with a western power. Possibly the meeting went well but they were somehow compromised so were forced into staging an 'incident'.

We may find out the truth in time. Certainly some interesting stories to be told there.

I don't think there's any doubt that the SAS were captured and had not intended to be either. I would speculate that they were probably told not to put up a fight either if this eventuality occurred.

What the Brits seem to be evasive about was what exactly they were doing there in the first place.

PatsytheNazi

muppet01 wrote: »

Methinks you watch too much History channel.
The bulk of SAS/SBS missions are never heard of, never mind reported.The very fact that this made the press will be an embarresment to the unit.It is also inadvertently helping Gadaffi by showing alleged western influence in the countrys crisis.
A daylight helicopter trip and a civilian in tow does not really subscribe to a special forces SOP, possibly a lot more than we know at the moment.
The detection and detention of a SF team "in country" goes against the rule book of any unit and the team leader will face serious questions although i suspect planning and intelligence will prove to be the main factor.

The west was quite happy helping Gadaffi until very recently. The 'heroic' SAS were training Gadaffi's trigger happy militia's.

" For the past six months Britain’s elite troops have been schooling soldiers working for Col Muammar Gaddafi’s regime "
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/6176808/SAS-trains-Libyan-troops.html

Fratton Fred

BrianD wrote: »

I don't think there's any doubt that the SAS were captured and had not intended to be either. I would speculate that they were probably told not to put up a fight either if this eventuality occurred.

What the Brits seem to be evasive about was what exactly they were doing there in the first place.

I'm sure the plan was to get in and out with no one noticing, but the fact within 24 hours of it happening there wad a queue outside the Guardian editors door sounds a bit suspect.

crackcrack30

looks like tom was the weakest link.........