SAS covertly eliminates two Iran-backed killers of six British soldiers in Iraq

In a clandestine mission, the SAS identified and killed two Iranian-backed operatives linked to the 2003 killing of six British military police in Majar al-Kabir, Iraq. The victims, known as Red Caps, were executed by the gang after an angry demonstration, marking the deadliest loss of UK forces to enemy action in the early Iraq war. According to a recently published account, the special forces succeeded in eliminating the two suspects, but higher-ranking officials ordered the operation to stop, fearing it could spark a wider Shia uprising.

The fathers of the slain soldiers, who have long claimed the government concealed the truth, welcomed the news but lamented that other killers escaped justice. The Ministry of Defence offered condolences but declined to comment on the covert action. The book, authored by Mark Nicol, provides the first public acknowledgment of the SAS strike.