British Special Forces were critical in bringing the Taliban attack in Kabul on Sunday and Monday to an end, despite Nato commanders insisting that the Afghans countered the attack without help.
According to Sky News sources, a unit of British Special Boat Service (SBS) troops were among the Afghan soldiers who stormed the building where the Taliban fighters were hiding.
The building, a construction site in the heart of Kabul, was raided at about 7am local time on Monday morning.
TV footage shows a number of troops, who appear to be wearing Afghan military uniform, scaling the outside of the building.
But according to Sky sources, members of the Royal Marines elite SBS unit led the assault.
There are reports that they were wearing Afghan military fatigues rather than their own British uniform.
Traditionally, British Special Forces have less stringent regulations on the uniforms they wear on operations.
British “attack dogs” were also used. It is believed one was injured in the assault.
TV footage shows a dog being carried away.
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) congratulated the Afghan security forces for what they said was an Afghan operation with no coalition military involvement.
ISAF spokesman Brigadier-General Carsten Jacobson told Sky News on Sunday afternoon that Afghan security forces “very capably dealt with the events during today and the International Security Assistance Force wasn’t even called upon to assist them.”
By Sunday night though, the Taliban attack was ongoing.
Taliban fighters had spent the whole day from their vantage point at the top of the half constructed building, firing down at various targets including the British, American, German and Japanese embassies.
It is understood that a decision was made on Sunday night to bring in the unit of British forces.
The unit is thought to be based in Kandahar, south of Kabul, but they happened to be in Kabul at the weekend.
Very early on Monday morning, US Black Hawk helicopters fired on the building.
A few hours later, a team of troops – said at the time to be all Afghan – stormed the building, killed the gunmen and brought the siege to an end.
Read the rest on Sky News.
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