Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

REVEALED: How elite SAS troops launched dramatic operation to save 20 comrades trapped by advancing Taliban hordes as Kandahar fell - landing a Hercules plane on the desert floor in pitch darkness in 'textbook' raid

Around 20 SAS men who were surrounded by Taliban have been rescued from the Afghan desert by comrades
The group who were in Kandahar province sent an SOS to commanders as the area fell to Taliban control
Military commanders hatched a daring plan to extricate the stranded troops by landing a plane in the desert  
Sources describe the astonishing raid - which utilised a makeshift airstrip in pitch darkness - as 'textbook'
By MARK NICOL, DEFENCE EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL and RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 22:00, 22 August 2021 | UPDATED: 08:46, 23 August 2021


A team of Special Air Service soldiers who were surrounded by Taliban hordes in Kandahar have been rescued in a dramatic desert operation.

Around 20 elite SAS troops were left stranded in the province hundreds of miles from friendly forces when the militants took over.

As enemy fighters closed in they sent an SOS request to Special Forces bosses back in Britain calling for immediate extraction.

But they could not use Kandahar airfield – once home to 26,000 international troops at the height of the military campaign – because it had already been overrun by Taliban. So the SAS soldiers fought their way to a secret desert location where they went into hiding. The coordinates of the location were then relayed back to Special Forces headquarters in a series of coded messages.

It comes as Boris Johnson prepares to hold a meeting with the leaders of G7 countries to push Joe Biden to delay the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan to allow more time for people to be evacuated.

The UK wants to double its Kabul airlift numbers to 12,000 this week, but the PM accepts that the success of the mission is reliant on US troops maintaining control of Kabul airport.

Mr Johnson said last night: 'It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years.'

Despite the entreaties from fellow leaders, Mr Biden has been non-committal, saying yesterday he 'hopes not to' extend his current deadline. He made a pledge to US citizens that 'any American who wants to get home will get home' but pointedly failed to mention his allies.

The SAS rescue mission was one of the most dramatic moments of the West's withdrawal from Afghanistan so far.

As part of the operation, RAF chiefs planning the evacuation of British nationals and entitled Afghans from Kabul airport had to find a transport aircraft capable of landing and taking off again in the desert.

On Wednesday night online flight trackers picked up a UK Hercules transport aircraft flying over the Gulf, until it turned off its Identification Friend or Foe sensors.

This ensured flight radars could not follow its route towards the area of desert scrub which SAS troops had identified as a possible landing strip.

The aircraft, from the RAF's Special Forces wing, made a dramatic landing in the dead of night with the crew wearing digital night-vision goggles.

A source said: 'It was a very hush, hush mission. Kandahar had fallen to the Taliban on Friday and the guys were down there for five days after that. The enemy were rampant and killing a lot of Afghan Special Forces whom the SAS had been working with. So it was a very urgent mission.

'Credit to the Hercules crew from 47 Squadron for landing the aircraft at night on rough terrain and getting her airborne again with the guys and their equipment aboard. It was textbook.'

The aircraft reappeared on Thursday morning on flight trackers as it approached an international military base in Dubai.

Frustratingly for SAS chiefs the C-130J which rescued their troops is due to be retired as part of the latest reorganisation of the RAF.

The Hercules is the RAF's major tactical transport aircraft and in its current versions, has been the backbone of UK operational mobility since it was brought into service in 1999. Praised as 'highly flexible' by the RAF, it has the ability to airdrop a variety of both stores and paratroopers, while landing and taking off from natural surfaces, such as a desert strip.

To conduct these missions, Hercules crews are highly skilled in low-level flying and trained to perform in both day and night.

The plan to rescue the stranded SAS troops was put together by the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing. The aircraft and crew came from the RAF's 47 Squadron. It comes as Taliban fighters were on the move last night to take over a key Afghanistan province currently outside of their control.

In a statement, the insurgents said their soldiers were planning to take control of the region 'after local state officials refused to hand it over peacefully'. But they are expected to meet significant resistance from thousands of ex-government troops who have joined forces with local militia.

They are led by Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, who warned that a new civil war is inevitable without a comprehensive power-sharing agreement.

Massoud claims to have some 9,000 fighters and has openly conducted training exercises showing recruits performing fitness routines. He also claims to have hundreds of military vehicles as well as five helicopters.

Pictures have emerged of a string of armoured vehicles lining up on the banks of the Panjshir River.

Defences are being bolstered at entrances to the Panjshir Valley, the south of which is guarded by a narrow gorge. Massoud said his group wants to push for a new system of government, but is prepared to fight if needed.

'The Taliban will not last long if it continues on this path,' he said. 'We are ready to defend Afghanistan and we warn of a bloodshed.'

Inspired by past victories against the Soviets and the Taliban, Panjshiri soldiers have spoken in recent days about 'a fight to the death'.

Boris Johnson and G7 leaders will plead with Joe Biden to delay the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, amid fears mercy flights could be halted within 48 hours.

The Prime Minister will use a virtual meeting of world leaders tomorrow to push for more time so thousands are not left behind in the clutches of the Taliban.

However they could be facing an uphill battle, with the US President refusing to commit to an extension.

Nearly 6,000 UK citizens and Afghan staff had been airlifted out by the RAF by last night, and, according to reports last night, a further 6,000 people will be flown out this week.

But the rescue mission is reliant on the American military retaining control of Kabul airport. Along with losing key air support, British military officials fear Islamic State (IS) may also target UK soldiers at Kabul airport in suicide bomb attacks.

'It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years,' Mr Johnson said last night.

But, while the PM last night issued his plea for co-operation, last night there appeared little hope of US troops remaining in Afghanistan beyond the end of this month.

President Biden said yesterday he 'hopes not to' extend his current deadline. He made a pledge to US citizens that 'any American who wants to get home will get home' but pointedly failed to mention his allies.

It came as dramatic pictures emerged of Taliban fighters and British troops, once sworn enemies, working just yards apart at Kabul airport.

Downing Street insiders said Mr Johnson will ask the US President at the G7 meeting not to leave Western allies in the lurch.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace have also been in contact with their opposite numbers in Washington on the issue.

A Whitehall source said last night: 'The situation on the ground is in flux – it would be unwise to impose a rigid deadline at this stage.'

Mr Biden has set a deadline of August 31 for all Americans to have left the country, but UK military sources said another fortnight was needed.

Asked what he would say if G7 leaders pushed him, Mr Biden said: 'I will tell them we will see what we can do.'

British military commanders are understood to have pencilled in August 25 as the last day they can process refugees, including former British interpreters, before the focus shifts to getting about 1,000 British troops and government officials home safely.

It could mean the last British evacuation flight may have to leave as soon as tomorrow or Wednesday to allow soldiers enough time to withdraw. Reports in the Times today suggested the final date could be pushed back to Friday or Saturday.

Meanwhile, furious former generals last night urged the Prime Minister to continue the UK's Afghanistan evacuation mission even if the US leaves, in the hoping of getting 'every last Britain out'.

Tsavo Lion wrote:Afghanistan on the brink of civil war

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/07/asia/taliban-government-announcement-intl/index.html

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https://www.antiwar.com/

https://www.juancole.com/2021/09/taliban-segregation-universities.html

https://www.juancole.com/2021/09/afghanistan-warlords-whether.html

Taliban in the Panjshir Gorge - what will happen next with Afghanistan   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3mT1p6lPXc

Unknown, possibly Indian AF attacked Pakistani SF there: https://youtu.be/pq2I6P-MKqA?t=210

Sujoy wrote:Today CIA chief John Brennan flew down to India to discuss Afghanistan.

John Brennan had apparently converted to Saudi Wahhabism and conducted Haj. Thereafter, he created ISIS.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna50776554

George1 wrote:

Sujoy wrote:Today CIA chief John Brennan flew down to India to discuss Afghanistan.

John Brennan had apparently converted to Saudi Wahhabism and conducted Haj. Thereafter, he created ISIS.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna50776554

To return to our previous discussions for pashtuns, i also see that tajiks of afghanistsn are more than the tajiks of tajikistan. I wonder if they have expressed desire to unite

George1 wrote:To return to our previous discussions for pashtuns, i also see that tajiks of afghanistsn are more than the tajiks of tajikistan. I wonder if they have expressed desire to unite

nomadski wrote: I am not sure, if addition of Afghan pashtun area, will put pashtuns there in significant majority or will it create an unstable near equality between them and other tribes.

nomadski wrote: So in Pakistan , they have to think very carefully about territorial acquisition on Punjab from India or Baloch from Iran or pashtun from Afghans . Territorial expansion by Pakistan may lead to partition of Pakistan.

nomadski wrote: As far as territorial claims by China in Tajik areas , and reasoning from historical justifications , one can equally and more correctly draw conclusions from historic names and most importantly present ethnic mix in these areas . Place names of Kashgar ( farmer in Persian ) and karagul ( black flower in Turkish ) , together with majority Tajik of nearly 90 percent , make this Chinese claim void . Expansionism by China is as wrong as any other state . China already experiencing minority issues in the East .

franco wrote:There are more Azerbaijanis people in Iran then in Azerbaijan... similar to the Tajiks situation.

Isos wrote:When I think about it, it seems they let all those equipement so that Taliban could use them.

If they really wanted to they could have burnt them quickly. A 1l bottle of oil or alcohol or anything that burns and a lighter is all they needed for each vehicle.

Soldiers could have done that in 20min. Same with small weapon and equipement, put them togather and burn it in an hangar or in an empty base.

SeigSoloyvov wrote:

Isos wrote:When I think about it, it seems they let all those equipement so that Taliban could use them.

If they really wanted to they could have burnt them quickly. A 1l bottle of oil or alcohol or anything that burns and a lighter is all they needed for each vehicle.

Soldiers could have done that in 20min. Same with small weapon and equipement, put them togather and burn it in an hangar or in an empty base.

Burn them.....? I hope you are joking.