Operation Barras: The SAS Rescue Mission, Sierra Leone 2000 (review)

On 25 August 2000, eleven men of the Royal Irish Regiment led by Major Alan Marshall were seized in Sierra Leone by a group of local militia known as the "West Side Boys". The British soldiers were part of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone, the "West Side Boys" young thugs brutalized in Sierra Leone's vicious civil war. Efforts to negotiate the peacekeepers' release proved futile; on September 10, the British government launched Operation Barras, a successful effort by A Company 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment and D Squadron 22 SAS to rescue them.

Retired Territorial Army Major William Fowler describes not only the tactical details of the mission, but the background of the conflict in Sierra Leone, the frustrations and limitations of UN peacekeeping forces, and the diplomatic and logistic aspects of the story, in thorough but interesting detail. This is not another hostage rescue thriller, but a complete operational analysis by a professional soldier written in an engaging style that the non-military reader can appreciate. Scholars interested in West Africa, collapsed states, and the problem of "Child Soldiers" will also find the book useful.

A pair of helpful maps depict the area in which the action took place. While the numerous color photographs do not show the operation itself, they do provide the reader with accurate depictions of not only the troops and equipment involved, but also of the local populace and landscape (this reviewer especially liked the photo of a Royal Navy Sea Harrier F/A2 flying over Freetown—quite a panoramic view). Extensive notes complement the text, and the appendix and glossary are both valuable. Finally, the bibliography includes relevant websites as well as published works.

All in all, a valuable and highly recommended book.