THE DEMISE OF BRAVO TWO ZERO

During the 1991 Gulf War, an SAS operation in the Iraqi desert went terribly wrong

- MICHAEL E HASKEW

The situation began to unravel from the start. They were trained to complete their missions against long odds, operating behind enemy lines – but when communications could not be established and their presence was apparently discovered there Bwas no choice but to abort, exfiltrate and attempt to fight another day.

The eight-man team of B Squadron 22 SAS, known as Bravo Two Zero, had deployed hours earlier into the trackless Iraqi desert, then began an incredible and tragic odyssey, the circumstances of which are still debated more than 30 years later.

Prelude to deployment

When Saddam Hussein sent the Iraqi Army into Kuwait on 2 August 1990, condemnation from the community of nations was virtually unanimous and a coalition force from 35 countries assembled to deal with the dictator’s aggression against his neighbour. During the build-up for Operation Desert Storm, SAS formations deployed to forward operating bases in Saudi Arabia. They brought with them expertise in the covert operations that were deemed essential to the offensive to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait, which began on 17 January 1991.