A Union Jack fluttered in the breeze in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as SAS soldiers – Blades as they were proud to call themselves – clambered aboard a Land Rover to pose for a photo against a backdrop of sandy wilderness.
asserted
they → flutter → wilderness
In their desert fatigues, unkempt and unshaven, some reclined against the front bumper while others sprawled on top of the chassis: an image that harked back six decades to when the SAS, led by its legendary founder David Stirling, ransacked German airstrips and ammunition depots in North Africa.
asserted
SAS → recline → Africa
The weight of this history was on every soldier's mind as they set out on Operation Trent to destroy an Al Qaeda strongpoint concealed in an opium factory, a 36-hour drive away.
asserted
they → set → factory
Weeks earlier in 2001 Osama bin Laden had masterminded the world's most audacious terrorist attack.
asserted
Laden → mastermind → attack
Trent was the SAS's opportunity to avenge the deaths of 67 Britons on 9/11.
asserted
Trent → avenge → 9/11
They scaled mile after mile of sand dunes until reaching an assembly area ten miles from the target.
asserted
They → scale → target
Ahead of them, US airstrikes hit enemy machine-gun posts; motorcycle outriders identified a laying-up position 500 metres from the enemy HQ.
asserted
outriders → hit → HQ
'A' Squadron dismounted under enemy fire from the top of a hill and scrambled over ridges and gullies.
asserted
Squadron → dismount → ridges
Every enemy position had to be cleared and every combatant eliminated.
asserted
combatant → have → ?
With dusk approaching, Al Qaeda exploited their advantage, firing from the shadows.
asserted
Qaeda → approach → shadows
They were determined to fight to their deaths.
asserted
They → determine → deaths
Operation Trent: The SAS team pose for picture before their audacious mission in Afghanistan
Adapted from Blades by Mark Nicol (Biteback £22), published October 8
asserted
team → pose → Nicol
Leading from the front, SAS officer Richard Williams and his assault team 'pepper-potted' uphill across 50 metres of open ground – one taking a knee and providing covering fire for the others to dash forward.
asserted
others → lead → fire
Williams's body armour deflected an accurate round before he was shot full force in his chest.
asserted
he → deflect → chest
Thankfully,
the two 7.62mm rounds lodged in his magazine pouch.
asserted
rounds → lodge → pouch
Moments later, one of his men made a dash between boulders but was pinned down.
asserted
one → make → boulders
Without hesitation, two of his comrades ran from their protected positions and dragged him into cover.
asserted
two → run → cover
The battle quickly hotted up.
asserted
battle → hotte → ?
The RSM (regimental sergeant major) was shot in the leg, a sergeant cried 'man down'.
asserted
sergeant → shoot → man
Yet still they advanced up the hill, clearing enemy positions until the Taliban trenches were littered with dead bodies.
asserted
trenches → advance → bodies
Running low on ammunition, they came to a halt, with no prisoners taken.
asserted
prisoners → run → halt
Eighty enemy lay dead.
asserted
enemy → lie → ?
Two Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses (CGCs) and two Military Crosses were earned that day.
asserted
Crosses → earn → ?
When Richard Williams was addressing troops on his appointment as their Commanding Officer (CO) in 2005, he declared: 'I expect all in the SAS to always do more than is expected.
asserted
all → address → more
For running through the heart of the SAS is the very essence of initiative, leadership and risk-taking professionalism.
asserted
essence → run → initiative
Only your judgment, experience and skill will enable you to make the difference between securing a mediocre result and a breakthrough.
asserted
judgment → enable → result
In Iraq, under his command, the SAS played a key role as part of the US-led Joint Special Operations Command, taking down Al Qaeda's network of car bombers in Baghdad – who at their peak were responsible for the deaths of more than 1,000 civilians a month.
asserted
who → play → civilians
It was one of the most successful campaigns in the regiment's history, showcasing the bravery, skill and ingenuity of its soldiers.
asserted
It → showcase → soldiers
Not long after his appointment in 2005, Williams was invited to review plans for another campaign, to run alongside the one in Iraq.
asserted
Williams → invite → Iraq
Task Force Helmand involved the deployment of thousands of British troops into Afghanistan's main drug-producing region.
asserted
Helmand → involve → region
From Iraq, Williams knew that effective Counter Insurgency (COIN) operations required the capability to detain suspects, as well as Rules of Engagement that allowed for offensive action.
asserted
that → know → action
Iraq's prime minister Nouri al-Maliki offered that support.
asserted
minister → offer → support
He had signed a Status of Forces Agreement that meant jihadists in Iraq could be held and soldiers could engage in combat on the basis of their enemies displaying hostile intent, rather than posing an immediate threat to life.
uncertain
enemies → sign → life
He was opposed to detention as well as to the house searches and 'kill or capture' night raids favoured by Special Forces.
asserted
He → kill → Forces
Williams feared that if his SAS soldiers were sent to Afghanistan under these circumstances to safeguard the troops deployed, they would be bound by MoD-imposed legal restrictions which made their job virtually impossible.
asserted
job → fear → restrictions
He could have told senior officers what they wanted to hear – that their intention to run their light-touch campaign to stabilise Helmand and reduce its dependency on opium production was feasible and beneficial.
uncertain
intention → tell → production
Instead, he warned that the presence of troops was more likely to cause an insurgency, not prevent one.
asserted
presence → warn → one
And he predicted that, thanks in part to those legal restrictions on Counter-Insurgency operations, as many as 500 British soldiers could lose their lives.
uncertain
soldiers → predict → lives
It was a highly prescient estimate given that when combat operations ceased in 2014, the death toll in Helmand was 407.
asserted
toll → give → Helmand
Williams point-blank refused to commit an SAS sabre squadron to Task Force Helmand.
asserted
Williams → refuse → Helmand
…and 62 more, not listed.
The Aporia
