Britain: SAS military forces unit to be permanently stationed in London

Although the SAS has been involved in several raids in London recently, this is the first time it will have a permanent base in the UK outside of its headquarters in rural Herefordshire. The unit was flown by helicopter to London in July 2005 when bombs exploded on the Underground rail network and is said to have helped police find suspects involved in a second bomb attempt and also to storm their homes.

Alongside the move of the SAS to London has been the decision by the intelligence agency MI5 to expand its networks and set up a special headquarters on the outskirts of London with teams of surveillance specialists, allowing them greater access to the rest of the country.

Both developments are in line with a major security review carried out by Home Secretary John Reid, who is calling for the Cabinet Office to be given responsibility for managing the government’s counterterrorist strategy.

Two years ago, the Blair government announced the expansion of special forces and the intelligence services as part of the “war on terror.” Extra funding has been given to four squadrons of the 22 SAS unit, the Royal Marines and the naval equivalent of the SAS, the Special Boat Service. The director of special forces now attends the Cobra civil emergencies meetings held by the cabinet office.

According to the Times, the SAS move is “intended to provide the police with a combat-proven ability to deal with armed terrorists in the capital.”

More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/feb2007/sas-f05.shtml