Eight elite British troops reportedly fought off 100 ISIS jihadis in a six-hour battle to save a family in Afghanistan
The British troops are claimed to have rushed to the aid of the Afghan family after their car was blown up by a homemade bomb.
The Special Boat Service (SBS) reportedly refused to abandon the group and held off the fighters for six hours before escaping under the cover of darkness, reports the Daily Star.
The team had been on a joint patrol with Afghan special forces in eastern Afghanistan when they heard the Improvised Explosive Device go off.
As they got closer, they are said to have seen the smouldering remains of a car and a family pleading for help.
One adult in the vehicle had been killed and a young girl was badly injured.
A source said: “The SBS team had a medic with them who was trauma-trained.
“He immediately began treating the girl and stopped the bleeding. Then the patrol came under attack and they were forced into undertaking a fighting withdrawal to an abandoned compound.”
They added: “The one chance the SBS guys had was to last until nightfall and then they would have the advantage because of their night-vision equipment.”
When it was dark, the SBS reportedly set up a diversionary attack to trick the ISIS fighters that they were being attacked from another position. They then fled to safety.
The source said: “They were fired on but the ISIS fighters had no real idea where they were and they got away with it.”
It is not clear when the rescue took place. But it is understood the injured girl made a full recovery.
The SBS describes itself as the Royal Navy’s answer to the SAS. They are among the most elite and capable soldiers in the entire British military.
Most of its operations are highly classified and its motto is 'By Strength and Guile.'
The SBS's main tasks include intelligence gathering, counter-terrorism operations, sabotage and the disruption of enemy infrastructure.
