Tank smashing rescue of Brit heroes
Published: September 20, 2005
AN SAS squad stormed a rebel safe house last night to free two of their commandos facing execution.
Tanks smashed into the building in Basra, Iraq, and helicopter gunships hovered above as the rescue was launched.
Extremists had spirited the crack pair from a police cell where they were held after a shootout in which an Iraqi cop was killed.
The police station in Basra was stormed earlier by British troops hunting the SAS men — but they were not there.
During the attack up to 150 Iraqi prisoners also escaped.
An intelligence tip-off led the SAS rescue force to the nearby private building where their colleagues were being held.
The captives and rescuers are believed to be from the 22 Special Air Service Regiment based in Hereford.
Sources said last night the two rescued soldiers were “safe and well”.
A military spokesman in Basra told The Sun: “We were concerned about the safety of the two soldiers after repeated refusals by those holding them to obey the orders of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior to release them.
“Once we confirmed that the soldiers were no longer being held in police custody a further operation was mounted to rescue them.”
Top brass insisted the Army had acted legally throughout the operation.
Even the Ministry of Defence in London was kept in the dark as confusion reigned for hours over the fate of the captives.
The details of the operation were kept top secret until the troopers were safely back in base.
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