Operation Marlborough: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 19:40, 17 August 2010
| Operation Marlborough | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of War in Iraq (2003-present) | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
 SAS | Iraqi insurgents | ||||
| Strength | |||||
|
UAV Listening devices Gathered intelligence | Suicide vest bombs | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| None | 3 dead | ||||
Operation Marlborough was the code name of a mission carried out by a British-American Special Air Service (SAS) sniper team from Task Force Black, along with US Tier One Special Operations units such as Delta Force, in Baghdad, Iraq in July 2005. Their mission was to deal a deadly blow to the Iraqi insurgency. The team consisted of a 16-man SAS group, including 4 sniper teams, each armed with L115A AWM sniper rifles chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. The remainder of the group's mission was to cover all other escape routes incase of immediate retreat from the operation if all else failed, backed up by troops from Task Force Red, an SFSG quick reaction force, standing near by incase of emergency.[1] The sniper team's mission was to kill terrorists wearing a suicide vest laden with commercial explosives who were intending to target cafes and restaurants frequented by members of the Iraqi security forces, as gathered by intelligence obtained by Iraqi double agents working for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the CIA.[2]
Operation
As the mission commenced, United States predator spy drone (UAV) had the target building under video surveillance, sending its imagery back to the Task Force Black Headquarters. Listening devices had been played inside the building and were being monitored by Arabic-speaking translators.[1]
Assaulting the building was an option, but the team believed that it would be too risky, so instead they waited patiently for the insurgents to exit the building. If they had assaulted the building, it was possible for any of the insurgents to detonate a bomb inside of it, creating the possibility of harming civilians and destroying the building structure. It was vital to kill all three bombers simultaneously to prevent any of them from detonating their explosives, harming surroundings and civilians.[1]
Just past 8 A.M., as the insurgents stepped out of the building, the command to engage was given over the radio. The three SAS snipers opened fire, while the fourth standing by for back up. Each insurgent was successfully taken out, all killed simultaneously in the head with the deadly .338 lapua magnum rounds.[1]
Operation Marlborough became one of the most successful counter-insurgency operations undertaken by British forces since the beginning of the War in Iraq.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d "SAS - Operation Marlborough". Elite UK Forces. July 2005. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ^ a b Sean Rayment (November 20, 2005). "Revealed: SAS mission to kill a Baghdad suicide squad". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
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