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Strategies & Market Trends : VOLTAIRE'S PORCH-MODERATED -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dealer who wrote (43447)	10/22/2001 10:49:44 AM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 65232

Hard as ice: the men who go further than the SAS An elite British unit is preparing to join the hunt for Osama bin Laden in the mountains of northern Afghanistan, defying the myth that the onset of winter will stall military operations. The first snows are expected by the end of the month, bringing fierce storms, near-zero visibility and temperatures as low as -20C. But the 24-strong Brigade Patrol Troop has expertise in the extremes of winter warfare and could be the force on which the hunt for the al-Queda leader and his men may ultimately turn. Recruited almost exclusively from the Royal Marine Commandos, the troop practise and refine their skills in northern Norway. The troop, based in Plymouth, comprises six four-man teams, each with its own medic, signaller, sniper and patrol commander. All are parachutists, and their weapons of choice are the M16 assault rifle or the L96 infantry sniper rifle, but at least one will have a Belgian Minimi light machine gun, which has a better rate of fire. They can also carry anti-tank weapons. During the Cold War they were used alongside regular Royal Marine Commandos as the first line of defence for NATO's northern flank against a Soviet invasion. They pride themselves on their ability to operate in weather conditions considered extreme even by the standards of special forces. They have no equivalent in the United States armed forces, and such are the selection standards that only a handful of SAS troopers have managed to join their ranks. The men must be able to live in snow holes for weeks on end as they seek, and then destroy, the enemy. Their other skills include laser target indication for air attacks, ice wall and mountain climbing, resistance to interrogation and escape techniques. As intelligence on the dispositions of the Taliban and the whereabouts of bin Laden arrives at US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, and the Joint Force Headquarters in Britain, the men will be inserted by helicopter to cover the high passes that al-Qaeda may use to move into lower valleys, where weather conditions are less hostile. On arrival at their landing sites, the commandos will establish a ring of covert observation posts dug deep into the snow. From here they will observe any movements and, with encrypted signals sent in high-speed bursts, report to their commanders at forward bases in Afghanistan or neighbouring countries such as Pakistan or Uzbekistan. Their task will be to assess possible routes, supply lines and secret locations so more heavily armed special forces troops, such as the SAS, can be flown in to intercept. But if they identify bin Laden or any of his lieutenants they will be cleared to open fire. Alternatively, if an al-Qaeda camp is located, the information they provide will allow planners to bring spy satellites on line, allowing the mountain troops to call in air strikes using conventional satellite and laser-guided bombs, or cruise missiles. The Telegraph, London smh.com.au