As the US and allies undertook risky evacuation attempts amid the chaos in Kabul, a team of soldiers belonging to the British Special Air Service (SAS) found itself stranded in south Afghanistan.
The soldiers were deployed on ‘secret reconnaissance mission’ in Afghanistan when the country spiraled into chaos after Taliban captured Kabul, as reported by The Daily Star. The SAS team was told that no helicopters were available to take them to a safe location to fly out of the country.
This meant that the SAS team was required to take on a risky journey of hundreds of kilometers dotted with checkpoints governed by Taliban fighters.
They chalked out a strategy to disguise themselves as devout Afghan women on their way to celebrate the liberation of the country by the Taliban.
As reported, the soldiers aborted the operation and geared up for the extraction. They had to abandon most of the military equipment, except weapons and ammunition. The soldiers wore burqas and called for 5 taxis and began the dangerous journey till Kabul. The burqas were reportedly provided to the SAS team by Afghanistan’s counter-terrorist police.
Disguised as devout, burqa-clad women, the soldiers also took the help of flags of the outfit to appear pro-Taliban.
An Afghan special forces soldiers accompanying the SAS team would converse with the Taliban fighters at checkpoints to persuade them that the cabs were filled with devout women who were on their side. As reported, the entire operation saw a few risky moments but the Taliban fighters were reluctant to unveil burqa-clad women.
Once in Kabul, the SAS soldiers, still in their burqas, left the cabs after reaching near the airport. After walking through more Taliban checkpoints, the team arrived at the airport gate which was guarded by American troops.
One of the SAS officers, a sergeant major, walked up to one of the US soldiers and revealed that they were “British special forces on operations.” The American reportedly couldn’t believe what he had heard the first time and asked the soldier to “Say again.”
After they revealed their true identities, the special team was then taken by the US guards to a room and, to safety.
