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The SAS has been chasing Karadzic
In summer 1997, the SAS members came close to Karadzic during the operation called "Tango 2". In November 2000 chase started again. Members of the 14th SAS brigade started operating in the eastern part of the Serb Republic, near the borders with Montenegro and Serbia.
By Branimir Gajic
A
barrack in the British SFOR base in Ramici village nearby Prijedor was the
center of secret activities. The barrack was reserved for the SAS members and
common officers and soldiers had no idea what was going inside.
The SAS
structures have very strict intelligence procedures and not a single datum or
plan could leak out of the barrack.
The Special Air Service was formed
during the Second World War to perform tasks, which the regular army was not
able to perform.
The SAS came to Bosnia to catch individuals, indicted for
war crimes by the Hague Tribunal.
The SAS
missions were divided into several categories according to their importance.
Although the SAS members were searching for less famous indictees, their most
important task was to arrest Serb war leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.
During
1997 and 1998 there were three unsuccessful attempts to arrest them. The SAS had
reliable information but it wasn't sufficient for a successful action. It
couldn't catch Ratko Mladic because he was in Serbia. However, its members were
constantly following Karadzic and could define his hiding area. In summer 1997,
the SAS members came close to Karadzic for the first time but they failed to
catch him. In November 2000, chase started again. During winter and spring,
members of the 14th SAS brigade started operating in the eastern part of the
Serb Republic, near the borders with Montenegro and Serbia. Members of the 14th
brigade moved through Bosnian villages and towns as engineers, journalists and
businessmen. Their teams consisted of four members. Two members were usually
operating "outside" while other two members were waiting in a hotel. They sent
information to the SAS center in Ramici village, which forwarded it to the SAS
center in Credenhill, a former RAF base in England.
The SAS
made a plan and decided to carry it out in July 2001. The SAS motto says: "He,
who dares, wins".
Chase
after Karadzic was similar to the chase after Tito, attempted by Germans in the
same region during the Second World War. Many things have changed since the
Second World War but Germans were involved in chase after another Balkan war
leader. Namely, the German KSK required that their special unit be involved in
chase after Karadzic. The SAS agreed that the KSK participate in the operation
as a rear group. American Delta units had a role in preparation of the action
too. British officers were worried with participation of different forces
because they didn't have insight in their operative secrecy and security.
They
didn't like the fact that the entire operation would be performed in French
sector. They were assured that information leaked in the neighboring sector.
Surprise was dominant factor in the subtle operation and crucial for success of
the operation. According to the plan, three teams would patrol in order to find
Karadzic's shelter. Two teams would enter the Serb Republic through Serbia. They
would move through Serbia in mufti and take uniforms, arms and communication
equipment near the border. The third team would pass by Celebici and Foca and
head toward the mountain where Radovan Karadzic was hiding. That team would be
followed by two other teams, which made a group of 20 people. The command
estimated that they could approach the village unnoticed, neutralize sentries
and approach the house marked as the "object". Before the action, it was agreed
that a helicopter would be waiting to collect the "prey" and members of two
teams. The helicopter was stationed in a valley about 20 km away. The command
planned a solution in case the things went wrong. It was possible that the SAS
members might be discovered when liquidating sentries. Consequently, Serb forces
might consolidate and open fire. In that case, the SAS members would stop the
operation and the helicopter would collect casualties. The command estimated
that 120 trained and loyal people with war experience were protecting Radovan
Karadzic. It increased the possibility of another unsuccessful action and
potential casualties.
The
second part of the plan would follow the cease of the operation: inflammable
substances would be thrown from helicopters, setting the forest on fire. It
would make Radovan Karadzic and his group go in the direction, where they would
come across thousand of SFOR soldiers, tanks and helicopters.
On
Friday morning, one of two teams entered the Serb Republic through the FRY and
had the first "contact" with Karadzic's men. Four members of the team were
wounded in the shootout. At the same time, the second team "met" Serb sentries
and suffered loss. The operation was stopped. The SAS base in Ramici village
understood the unbelievable coincidence as "fall in an ambush".
Great
Britain is to analyze the coincidence. The SAS members were the only persons who
knew the team's paths. It is possible that someone noticed the teams in the FRY
and informed the Serb Republic about their movements. Who did that: Yugoslavs, a
foreign group, Russians or Karadzic's French liaisons?
On
Monday morning, the first SFOR helicopter took off carrying inflammable
substances and a great number of tanks were heading toward Foca. The forest
nearby Foca caught fire. SFOR officials claimed that there were no struggles and
that it was just a military practice. Moreover, the fire was attributed to
summer heat.
Despite
secrecy and denials, the operation got in the limelight. By the next weekend,
the former president of the Serb Republic will either become another prisoner in
Scheveningen, a myth if he is killed during the action or remain the
unachievable and frustrating target of west special units.
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