UK ELITE & SPECIAL FORCES NEWS

13.12.2009 - Task Force Crichton

The Telegraph reports on the UK special forces group, Task Force Crichton, combating the Taliban in Afghanistan, with revelations about the role of the SFSG...
more info : task force crichton

UK Special Forces Merchandise

Special Air Service, SBS, SRR, Royal Marines, Paras etc - t-shirts, hats, mugs and other merchandise now available...
www.cafepress.co.uk

12.12.2009 - Bogus 'SAS veteran' arrested after being caught parading with 'impossible' medal haul

A carpenter who marched in a Remembrance Day parade wearing a SAS Beret and an 'impossible collection' of military medals has been arrested on suspicion of deception....
more info : dailymail

09.12.2009 - SAS Puma Crash Blamed On Pilot Error

An inquest into the 2007 Puma helicopter crash in Iraq in which 2 SAS soldiers perished has ruled that it was primarily caused by pilot error...
more info : bbc news

01.12.2009 - Gordon Brown Reveals Special Forces Presence In Afghanistan

In an unprecedented move that has caused consternation in some quarters, the Prime Minister has revealed that 500 British Special Forces are actively deployed to Afghanistan...
more info : the telegraph | press and journal | london evening standard

29.11.2009 - Royal Marines Denied Rescue Bid

The Daily Mail reports that a force of FPGRM Commandos were forced to watch as a kidnapped British Couple were taken off their yacht onto a pirate mothership...
more info : elite royal marines denied attempt to thwart pirate kidnappers

29.11.2009 - Cuts To Special Forces Helicopters

The Times newspaper reveals that the Foreign Office has withdrawn funding for British operated MI-8 helicopters used to support the SBS in Afghanistan...
more info : special forces helicopters grounded by budget cuts

23.11.2009 - SRR Help Foil Attack On NI Police

It has emerged that the Special Reconnaissance Regiment were involved in preventing an attack by dissident republicans against a PSNI Officer...
more info : bbc news

22.11.2009 - MOD To Lift Ban On Special Forces Secrecy?

The Daily Mail newspaper reports on MOD plans to release details of special forces operations...
more info : the daily mail

05.11.2009 - UKSF On Trail Of Taliban Gunman

The Mirror and other newspapers are reporting that the SAS and SBS are now hunting the policeman who killed 5 British soldiers on the 4th...
more info : the mirror | the times

03.11.2009 - CIA Plane Spotted With Special Forces Helicopters

Report on the sighting at a UK airport of a CIA aircraft with UK SF choppers...
more info : cia plane spotted in UK

28.10.2009 - SBS On Standby To Rescue Kidnapped Britons?

The Independent newspaper speculates on the potential role of the SBS, which they erroneously refer to as the Special Boat Squadron, in rescuing the 2 Britons kidnapped by Somali pirates...
more info : the independent

24.10.2009 - Black Watch Rescue SAS

A Company from the Black Watch as reportedly rescued an SAS / Afghan Army team when their US-piloted Chinook helicopter crash-landed...
more info : the sun

28.09.2009 - Funeral For SBS Hero

The Sun reports on the funeral of an SBS Commando who died during an operation in Afghanistan...
more info : the sun

12.09.2009 - SAS Training Libyan Forces

UK newspaper, The Telegraph, reports that a small SAS team is training Libyan special forces...
more info : the telegraph

09.09.2009 - UKSF Soldier Dies During Rescue

A British soldier has died during a UKSF operation to rescue a kidnapped journalist in Afghanistan...
the daily mail | the guardian

06.09.2009 - More Elite Forces For Afghanistan

The Times reports on plans to raise up to 900 elite troops for use in the campaign against the Taliban...
more info : more elite troops for afghanistan

06.09.2009 - British Special Forces Raid Taliban Fort

In what is being hailed as one of the most successful special operations in Afghanistan, UKSF have raided a Taliban fort, destroying hundreds of IEDs...
more info : uksf raid taliban bomb fort

21.08.2009 - British Chinook Shot Down On Special Forces Mission

The RAF Chinook that was shot down close to Sangin in Afghanistan had just dropped of a British Special Forces unit. According to the Sun, the helicopter was from 7 Sqn...
the sun | the times | the daily mail

21.08.2009 - Special Forces Support Group To Expand

The Sun reports that the SFSG is to have its ranks swelled by troops from 2 and 3 Para in order to allow it to take on new roles...
the sun

21.08.2009 - US General Praises SAS

US General David Petraeus has praised 22 SAS as well as other British Special Forces...
the telegraph

20.08.2009 - SAS Puma Crash Inquest

Read reports on the ongoing inquest into the 2007 Puma crash in Iraq which claimed the lives of 2 SAS soldiers...
read more

07.08.2009 - 3 SFSG Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan

The Times newspaper reports that 3 Special Forces Support Group have been killed by an IED in Afghanistan...
the times

18.07.2009 - UK Special Forces Using Foreign Helicopters

UK press report on the role of foreign-owned and built helicopters in UK special operations in Afghanistan...
read more

26.06.2009 - SAS - Parachute Insertions In Iraq

The Telegraph reveals info about several parachute drops by the SAS (Task Force Black) while it was operating in Iraq...
the telegraph | more info on sas air troop

14.06.2009 - SAS Recruitment Crisis

UK press reports on a shortfall of recruits for 22 SAS...

the mirror

11.06.2009 - SAS Rescue Bid Blocked

The Sun newspaper reports that the SAS were on standby to rescue British hostage, Edwin Dyer, from his Al Qaeda captives, but were prevented from going in by either senior military or civilian authorities. Sadly, Mr Dyer has since been executed...
the sun

08.06.2009 - SAS Blamed for Puma Problems

It has emerged that top Army and Air Force commanders blame the SAS for problems with Puma helicopters that have occurred during special operations, including a fatal crash in Iraq...
defencemanagement.com | the times

03.06.2009 - SBS and Apaches Take Out Taliban Warlord

SBS commandos call in Army Apache gunships to take out a Taliban leader in Helmand...
the sun

02.06.2009 - Royal Marines Intercept Pirates

A Royal Marines boarding party from HMS Portland has intercepted 2 skiffs loaded with armed pirates in the Gulf Of Aden...

google news | official mod report

30.05.2009 - SAS Deploy To Afghanistan

The UK press reports that 2 Squadrons from 22 SAS have now been deployed into the Afghanistan theatre. The 22 SAS forces join the Special Boat Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment, Special Forces Support Group and troops from the SAS Reserves Regiments, 21 and 23 SAS in Afghanistan for one of the largest deployment of British Special Forces since World War 2...
the times

04.05.2009 - SBS To Get New Minisub

The Times reports that the Special Boat Service is to get a new minisub, the US-designed “shallow water combat submersible” (SWCS), replacing the Mk VIII SDV currently used...
the times

25.04.2009 - UK Special Forces To Be Expanded

The UK defence secretary, John Hutton, is expected to announce plans to expand the SAS and other special forces...
the telegraph | the times

22.04.2009 - New Jackal 2 Vehicle Set For the Frontlines

The BBC reports on the debut of the new 4-wheel Jackal 2 vehicle...


BBC news report | MoD report (includes details of the new 6-wheel Coyote vehicle)

18.04.2009 - Royal Marines / Royal Navy Disrupt Pirates

The MoD reports on 2 incidents in which Royal Navy / Royal Marines units disrupted Pirate activity in the Gulf Of Aden...
ministry of defence | daily mirror blog

13.04.2009 - SAS Laptop Goes Missing

A laptop containing details of top-secret anti-terror training exercises of the Special Air Service (SAS), has gone missing...
the daily mirror

31.03.2009 - Royal Marines video

The Sun follows up a previous video report on a recent 42 Commando battlegroup operation against Taliban strongohlds in Helmand with a new video...
the sun (includes video)

31.03.2009 - SAS on alert for G20 summit

The Telegraph reports that the SAS has been put on alert to respond to a terrorist attack at the upcoming G20 summit in London...
the telegraph

26.03.2009 - Royal Marines in 3-day Assault On Taliban

The Sun newspaper reports on a recent 42 Commando battlegroup action against Taliban strongholds in Helmand...
the sun (includes video report) | the telegraph

20.03.2009 - Iraq SAS units switch to hunting the Taleban

The Times reports that the SAS is soon to redeploy from Iraq to Afghanistan...
the times (march 20th article) | the times (earlier article on similar theme)

07.03.2009 - SAS Chief Blasts MOD Over Snatch Land Rovers

A former senior SAS commander has accused the Government of having "blood on its hands"....
telegraph | reuters report

06.03.2009 - SRR Deploy To Northern Ireland

It has now been revealed that the Special Reconnaissance Regiment are operating in Northern Ireland, keeping watch on dissident republicans...
bbc news (includes video report) | reuters report

05.03.2009 - Special Forces Chinooks Fiasco

A newly issued official report condemns the series of delays in procuring Chinook HC3 helicopters for RAF Special Forces...

channel 4 news

19.02.2009 - Royal Marines Prepare For Med

Six hundred marines from Taunton are heading to the Mediterranean this weekend to join the Royal Navy's biggest sea deployment in years....
bbc news (includes video report)

18.02.2009 - SBS and Royal Marines In Drugs Swoop

The Special Boat Service along with Royal Marines Commandos and other British forces have taken part in a daring raid against a numbers of Taliban drug factories...
operation diesel (eliteukforces.info report)

07.02.2009 - Royal Marines In Cornwall Exercise

40 Commando, with other Royal Marines units, have taken part in a large pre-deployment exercise in Cornwall...
bbc news

05.02.2009 - 45 Commandos strike blow against the Taliban

Victory Company, 45 Commando, Royal Marines stormed a Taliban base in the mountains near Kajaki, in the north of Helmand province, killing the commander...
the press and journal

04.02.2009 - 'Civilian' choppers for secret SAS ops

8 Flight, the Army Air Corps unit that supports the SAS, is to replace it's ageing fleet of Agusta A109 helicopters with new Eurocopter Dauphins, the Sun newspaper reports ...
the SUN

04.02.2009 - Robbery Suspecy shot Dead by CO19

CO19, London's elite armed Police unit, shot dead a suspected armed robber during a car chase in Wood Lane...
the tottenham journal

25.01.2009 - British commandos capture Taliban post

British commandos from 45 Commando, Royal Marines captured a Taliban command post and a roadside bomb factory last week in a three-day operation in the Upper Sangin Valley...
the times

14.01.2009 - Marines APCs to get extra armour

Viking APCs used by the Royal Marines in Afghanistan are to be fitted with extra armour-plating to protect against mines.
bbc news

14.01.2009 - Marines uncover Taleban bomb factory

The Times reports on a joint operation that included 42 Commando, Royal Marines, in Helmand, Afghanistan.
the times

04.01.2009 - Operation Sond Chara

42 Commando, along with other 3 Commando Brigade elements have taken part in a month-long operation to clear a string of Taliban bases in Helmand Province....
more info : operation sond chara