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SAS Forces to Join Assault on Tora Bora Hide-out
Tuesday, December 4, 2001
(Time)
By Frank Millar
London editor -- Ireland.com

Britain's SAS is believed ready to join the lead assault on the Tora Bora mountain complex of Afghanistan in an expected showdown with Osama bin Laden.

Defence briefings over the weekend indicated advanced planning at US Central Command in Tampa, Florida for assaults on Kandahar and Tora Bora, where the US Vice-President, Mr Dick Cheney, believes bin Laden is in hiding and where British newspapers yesterday anticipated he might be preparing a "last stand". The attacks could be launched within the week but will be determined by allied deployments and the developing tactical situation inside Afghanistan.

Meanwhile -- amid continuing speculation about US plans to extend military action to include Iraq -- the Sunday Telegraph reported that Britain has been asked by the US to help prepare military strikes against Somalia as part of a second phase in the campaign against bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
(More: Ireland.com News Source)
2001 © Ireland.com.

Dan