The Elite

by Ranulph Fiennes

  Despite this mishap, al-Qaeda looked to be finished in Mazar and soon the Americans found their huge stash of weapons, including rifles, rockets, grenades and mortars, hidden in a pink building many believed used to be a school. Al-Qaeda therefore had very little left to fight with.

  With Mazar a Taliban-free zone, reports came thick and fast of other cities falling, including the capital, Kabul. As the American teams established a base in the city, they now turned their attention to taking the city of Kunduz, which was turning into the place where the Taliban, and al-Qaeda, were making their final stand. While Kunduz was bombed relentlessly, and all roads in and out were cut off, Bowers prepared to move his ODAs in to oversee operations.

  However, in the early hours of 24 November, over 600 Taliban fighters suddenly turned up in Mazar and offered to surrender. This was totally unexpected. What’s more, no one was sure if they were genuine. A decision was finally made to transport them to the city airport, where they would be held, in lieu of anywhere more suitable.

  Due to Afghan custom, none of the men who surrendered were searched. To search a man in such circumstances was considered a gross insult, no matter the circumstances. Despite concerns, the Taliban fighters seemed to be volunteering their weapons before they were taken away. Nosorog was very uneasy with this but didn’t want to rock the boat. Besides, he would soon be joining up with Nutsch and moving out to Kunduz.

  Yet, as Nosorog and Nutsch left the city with their teams, Dostum suddenly redirected the prisoners to be held at the Qala-i-Jangi fortress, whose walls could hold them more securely than the airport. But Dostum was not aware that within the fortress was the pink school building, where al-Qaeda’s weapons stash had been found, and where they still remained.

  Stationed at the fort were Johnny ‘Mike’ Spann and Dave Olson of the CIA. As the prisoners arrived, the CIA men were unaware that they had not been searched but instantly knew this was a bad situation. If they should break out, they could storm the weapons supply in the schoolhouse and avail themselves of enough arms to kit out their 600 men. Moreover, the 600 prisoners significantly outnumbered the remaining Afghan and American forces in the city, which at the time came to only around 160 men, just eight of whom were US Special Forces. They would be able to retake Mazar with ease and then attack the Americans, who had been focusing on Kunduz, from behind. Soon everyone’s worst nightmares were realised.

  Upon screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’, the hordes of prisoners set off grenades they had hidden in their clothing and stormed their way out of the basement. In attempting to stop them reaching the school building, Mike Spann was viciously murdered, becoming the first US casualty of the war. Olson managed to escape from them but could not stop the men getting to the weapons stash. A full-blown crisis was now unfolding. If the Taliban escaped from the fort with their weapons, the war could suffer an almighty setback.

  With events spiralling out of control, Major Mark Mitchell was unable to call in an airstrike because Olson was unaccounted for but believed to still be alive and inside the fort. As he desperately tried to reach Olson, Northern Alliance soldiers positioned themselves around the walls and opened fire. In response, the Taliban set up mortars in the courtyard and attempted to blow themselves out, taking the Northern Alliance with them. Time was now of the essence.

  Frantically radioing Olson, Mitchell finally made contact, only to find he was hiding inside the fort and had no way out. There was also no way Mitchell could rescue him against 600 heavily armed men. There was only one option available. Mitchell called in an airstrike, setting the bombs slightly away from Olson’s position. It was risky, and could kill Olson in the process, but time was running out and it was the only play they had. Mitchell told Olson to use the resulting explosion as a diversion and make a break for it, as long as he wasn’t killed by the bomb itself.

  As the building suddenly rocked with multiple explosions, Olson fled through the debris, using the dust as cover, desperately searching for an exit. Meanwhile, as more bombs continued to drop, the Taliban fled to the basement with their weapons, intending to see out the siege. Many had now been killed but the Northern Alliance had also suffered significant casualties. Luck would, however, soon be on their side.

  The US bombers had run low on fuel and had to return to base. Without the US bombers, the Taliban suddenly had the upper hand, even if they did not know it yet.

  Attempts to destroy the basement, or force the Taliban out, all failed until the Northern Alliance had a stroke of inspiration. Diverting a small stream to a hole in the basement roof, they proceeded to flood it, giving the Taliban a stark choice: drown or surrender. Soon the remaining eighty-six Taliban survivors gave themselves up, including the American convert John Walker Lindh. The Battle of Qala-i-Jangi was over, as was the threat to Mazar, which was now firmly in Northern Alliance and American hands.

  From this point, more Special Forces ODAs entered the country and by December the Taliban had fallen. The first phase of the Afghan campaign was over, and all in a remarkable forty-nine days of combat operations. As Linda Robinson points out in her modern history of the Special Forces, Masters of Chaos, ‘No one had ever imagined that fewer than 100 Special Forces soldiers and an indigenous militia could overthrow a government so quickly.’

  It was a staggering achievement. No other entity within the US military could have done what the Green Berets managed in such a short space of time.

  However, the primary goal – to kill Osama bin Laden – had still not been accomplished. The latest intelligence had placed bin Laden, and other key al-Qaeda operatives, in the Tora Bora cave complex. Unmanned aerial vehicles, known as ‘Predators’, swept the mountain range for any clue as to his whereabouts, while jets dropped bomb after bomb hoping to kill him. Meanwhile, teams of Special Forces searched well over 200 caves. While they found some weapons and previous hideouts, the man they were looking for was nowhere to be found. It seemed he had managed to get over the border and into Pakistan, and all but disappeared.

  When he was finally found, after a decade of searching, it would require the unique skills of another elite US military team for the United States to finally have its revenge . . .

  25

  US NAVY SEALS

  AD 2011

  The nine-year anniversary of 9/11 was fast approaching and still Osama bin Laden was nowhere to be found. The United States government had thrown huge resources at trying to locate him but they had drawn a blank. It seemed not even a $25 million bounty on his head could inspire anyone to give him up. However, interrogating al-Qaeda detainees in Guantanamo Bay had at least provided a lead – the identity of one of bin Laden’s most trusted couriers, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti. Armed with his mobile phone number the CIA was able to track his movements, which led them to a suspicious-looking three-storey compound in the suburbs of the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.

  Soon the CIA was using everything at its disposal to confirm whether this was indeed where the most wanted man in the world was hiding. The clues were compelling. Satellite images showed that the compound had been built and fortified after 9/11. Its extensive security features included high walls topped with barbed wire, security gates, as well as a privacy screen on all balconies, which prevented anyone from looking inside. It was clearly custom-built to hide someone of significance.

  CIA spies proceeded to rent a home that overlooked the compound and they uncovered further suspicious behaviour. The compound had no phone or internet connection, with inhabitants driving for ninety minutes before putting a battery in their mobile phones to make any calls. All rubbish was also burnt inside the high walls, rather than being put out for collection, which made it impossible for the CIA agents to test for DNA. Everything seemed to match but there was still no positive ID of bin Laden. However, a CIA review of all the intelligence available concluded to a very high degree of probability that he was in the compound. Yet getting to bin Laden would not be easy.

  President Obama certainly did not want to ask the Paki
stani authorities to apprehend him. He was not sure they could be trusted and didn’t want to burn what seemed such a strong lead. As a senior adviser to the president later told the New Yorker magazine, ‘There was a real lack of confidence that the Pakistanis could keep this secret for more than a nanosecond.’ A military invasion was also out of the question, with Pakistan supposedly an ally of the United States. Besides, any large-scale military action would only alert bin Laden they were coming for him. As such, Obama realised this was an operation that was perfect for a small elite force to cross into Pakistan, storm the compound and take bin Laden before anyone even knew what was happening. It was just the sort of mission for which the Navy SEALs were made.

  An acronym that stands for Sea, Air and Land, the SEALs can trace their origins back to the Second World War, after a lack of intelligence, and preparation, saw the Marines massacred by the Japanese as they tried to get ashore at Tarawa. From this disaster, it was clear that a professional navy combat demolition unit needed to be developed. This was subsequently set up at Fort Pierce, Florida, before the SEALs were officially born on 1 January 1962, thanks to the enthusiasm of President Kennedy for their guerrilla warfare.

  Not just any soldier could become a SEAL. The assessment was one of the toughest, most challenging and brutal experiences anybody could have. Like the Berets, prospective candidates had to pass a variety of tests before they were even allowed to apply for the selection and training programme (known as BUD/S). Applicants had to be twenty-eight or under, have excellent vision, come from certain navy ratings, have the endorsement of their commanders, and have plenty of time remaining on their enlistment before they could even try out. After that, they still had to pass a very strict physical examination at Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School in Great Lakes Illinois. Most recruits are out of the reckoning before they even get a chance to try the twenty-six-week BUD/S selection programme.

  Conducted at Coronado, California, right on the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, the BUD/S quickly weeds out those who don’t belong in the company of the elite. Only the strongest survive and sometimes not a single recruit makes the grade. Perhaps the most famous part of the BUD/S is what is known as ‘Hell Week’. Just before midnight, instructors wake up recruits with incessant screaming and firing off blanks from an M60 machine gun. So begins five and a half days of constant activity that includes running, boat drills and plenty of swimming. All the while, the instructors shout, ‘The only easy day was yesterday!’ A prospective SEAL sleeps at most four hours during the entire week, runs more than 200 miles, and does physical training for more than twenty hours per day.

  A SEAL officer explained why Hell Week is necessary to author Hans Halberstadt for his book US Navy Seals:

  I continually tell my troops while they are training, ‘Look, I can’t give you the feeling of what it is really like to be in combat . . . because I can’t shoot at you and make you hurt. It’s illegal, and I wouldn’t want to do that anyway. What I can do is to make the conditions so tough, and try to make you so tired, put you under such stress, that you will get something of a feeling of what it is like.

  Under the most intense conditions, recruits have to take part in simulations on land involving live ammunition and explosives. They must also attend ‘jump school’, at Fort Benning, Georgia, where they train to become fully qualified military parachutists. And those who are still standing at the end of all this must then undertake the SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) course that provides students with the core tactical knowledge they will need to join a SEAL platoon.

  With President Obama looking to the SEALs to storm bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound, he gave Admiral William McRaven three weeks in which to devise a plan. McRaven knew this was a job for his best of the best. As such, he handpicked a team, drawing from the most experienced and senior operators from Red Squadron, of SEAL Team Six, the most elite counter-terrorism unit administered by US Naval Special Warfare Command. These men were perfect for this mission. Their unique training had seen them specialise in storming buildings and killing enemy fighters inside, while the team also had language skills and experience with cross-border operations into Pakistan.

  In his book The Operator, Robert O’Neill recalls his experience in trying to join this elite SEALs team:

  Guys have to complete a vastly amped up version of the physical test that conventional SEALs have to pass. Every distance is longer, every time faster and every exercise has more reps. It’s a pretty serious test. If you pass that, then you go before a board of senior officers and enlisted in a room where they grill you for an hour about your array of service medals, your tactics, your experiences, your bosses, your home life, and how much you drink.

  After recently returning from Afghanistan, the team were told to report to Harvey Point Defense Testing Activity facility in North Carolina. No one had any idea what was to be discussed but some believed that, with the situation worsening in Libya, it had something to do with taking out Colonel Gaddafi. The chosen few were instead stunned to hear from their commander, ‘We think we have found Osama bin Laden, and your job is to kill him.’

  As all known intelligence was shared with the team, a plan of action began to take shape. A life-size replica of the Abbottabad compound was subsequently constructed, using CONEX shipping containers. All the measurements were exact, or close to it, and the training was unusually realistic, with the SEALs brought out in conventional Black Hawks and fast-roping out of the choppers into the compound, just as they would for the real thing.

  Training for hours and hours with the sun up, they also practised at night so as to get used to doing it wearing night-vision goggles. However, some were growing increasingly wary that the compound might have heavily armed guards, as well as be rigged with explosives. Indeed, that was if they managed to get to the compound, as there was a real fear that Pakistani air defence might shoot the choppers down, with them having no authority to be in the country. Thankfully, the brand-new state-of-the-art helicopters that would be used in the raid were designed to be quiet and to have low radar visibility to avoid this fate.

  Every factor seemed to be covered. Nothing was left to chance. Such was the attention to detail that the helicopters were even tested in Nevada, so that the pilots could get used to flying them at a similar altitude to that in Abbottabad.

  McRaven presented the planned assault to President Obama and the mission to storm the compound was given the go-ahead on 29 April. Seal Team Six now prepared itself for the raid of a lifetime: Operation Neptune Spear.

  Going in light was vital if the SEALs were to take the compound by stealth. Robert O’Neill details in his book how he pared his kit down to the bare minimum. No longer carrying a knife or a pistol, all he had with him was ceramic body armour, a Nalgene water bottle, two protein bars, and a Heckler & Koch 416 automatic rifle, with three extra magazines, along with PVS-15 night-vision goggles.

  With their training complete and equipment ready, on the moonless night of 1 May 2011, the twenty-six SEALs boarded two modified Black Hawk helicopters at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan and crossed over the border into Pakistan. Waiting on the outskirts, should they be required, were more SEALs in Chinook helicopters. Tension was high. It would take ninety minutes to reach the compound and, with the Pakistanis unaware of the mission, they could shoot the Black Hawks down as hostile aircraft at any moment. Some of the SEALs chose to sleep, while others focused on the mission ahead, remembering the horrific events of 9/11 as extra motivation. O’Neill remembers being excited at having the opportunity to take down the man who had encouraged countless atrocities around the world, but he was also prepared for the worst-case scenario – that bin Laden might not even be at the compound.

  Two minutes away from their target, the doors suddenly opened. With the city lights of Abbottabad twinkling below, moments later the compound came into view, just as it had looked in the training facility. This gave the men extra confidence. Without ever having set foot in the place, they knew
every square inch.

  The two Black Hawk helicopters now separated and made for their landing zones. But, as Dash 1 hovered over the compound for the SEALs to fast-rope down onto the roof, it suddenly lost control. Entering a ‘vortex’ condition, due to a hotter than expected air temperature combined with the compound’s 18ft-high walls, the pilot had no option but to enact an emergency crash-landing. As he did so, the tail and rotor smashed into the walls, damaging the helicopter beyond repair. No one was hurt but those inside the compound now knew they were under attack. All the SEALs’ careful plans were now out of the window. With no time to waste, they quickly disembarked, opening fire as they charged towards the ground floor of the concrete building.

  On seeing the crash-landing, the pilot of Dash 2 knew that he couldn’t risk entering the compound in the same conditions. As such, he landed just outside the compound walls. The helicopter was safe but the SEALs now had to blow open a gate with explosives, losing vital seconds. Finally inside, they headed for the three-storey building only to come under fire from behind the door of a guardhouse. While still on the move, one SEAL dropped the shooter dead with a single shot.

  Blasting their way inside the building, the two SEAL teams heard the cries and screams of women and children before the power suddenly went out. With potential enemies lurking in every corner, the SEALs quickly deployed their night-vision goggles. Going from room to room, with their guns raised, they herded all the women and children together, restraining them with plastic zip ties, while others continued to scale the stairs of the dark compound. So far there was no sign of their target, but CIA intelligence indicated that, if bin Laden was in the compound, he would be found on the third floor.