The SAS has a reputation for being one of the world’s best special forces units. It doesn’t botch missions often, which is one of the reasons this incident is getting so much attention.
The SAS gained worldwide notice after a hostage rescue in 1980 in which all but one of the 26 people being held in the Iranian embassy in London were rescued. Although not much information is known about their operations over the years (in some ways, another sign of success), a BBC profile on the unit, written prior to their involvement in Afghanistan, reveals that the incident in Libya appears out of character for the group.
In an op-ed published March 7, The Guardian’s security editor writes that Britain’s special forces are more active now than they have been since World War II and that their role is “increasingly important.” Their warfare leads to fewer casualties than conventional warfare, he writes, and they are trained to handle terrorism in a way that conventional forces are not.
