Britain's SAS to double anti-terror forces

Image
Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : May 07 2017 | 4:22 PM IST
Britain's elite Special Air Service (SAS) unit of the Army is doubling its anti-terror forces to tackle the growing terror threat to the country.
The unit will increase in size to 80 troops, 'The Sunday Times' quoted a source close to the elite regiment as saying.
The aim is to ensure security services have the manpower and skill to tackle co-ordinated attacks3 by gunmen and suicide bombers like those that left 130 dead in Paris in November 2015.
Police in London have an elite force of about 130 anti- terrorism officers trained by the SAS to fire weapons in "close quarters combat" and to drop from helicopters by rope.
While they are good, the source said, "they are not trained soldiers. They are not trained in close-quarters combat to the level that the SAS are".
The UK's Ministry of Defence declined to comment on security operations.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 07 2017 | 4:22 PM IST

Next Story