Latest / U.S SECRET CRIMES / The Rescue That Should Have Been Impossible
Transcript
- 1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,040 The rescue, they called "operations certain death." 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:07,680 What happens when 11 soldiers disappear into the hands of a heavily armed rebel force? 3 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:14,080 Negotiations begin to collapse, and the people sent to bring them home know that the rescue itself could become a death sentence. 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:23,680 In August 2000, inside a war torn Sierra Leone, a routine military patrol became the beginning of one of Britain's most dangerous hostage rescue operations. 5 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:25,320 For almost a decade, 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:32,760 Sierra Leone had been trapped in a brutal civil war. Different rebel factions were fighting for control of territory and resources. 7 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:36,600 While the country's diamond wealth had become deeply connected to the conflict, 8 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,560 among the most feared groups were the West Side Boys, 9 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,640 a large and unpredictable rebel force operating from jungle territory. 10 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:49,800 Their reputation was built not only on their military strength, but also on the fear they created among civilians. 11 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,520 The transcript describes villages being raided, 12 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,240 children being taken and forced into fighting, 13 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,560 and civilians being terrorized as the rebels attempted to demonstrate their power. 14 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:03,400 Their fighters were also associated with heavy drug and alcohol use, 15 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:08,040 while some believed that spiritual or supernatural protection could make them immune to bullets. 16 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:12,680 Among those who had lived inside that world was a young fighter known as Black Zoro. 17 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:18,440 He had been recruited into the West Side Boys when he was only 14 and eventually became a junior officer. 18 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,920 His account provides a disturbing glimpse into the environment surrounding the rebels. 19 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:30,120 He described widespread drug and alcohol use and explained how intoxication could create a dangerous sense of confidence among fighters. 20 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:35,640 For people living inside such an environment, violence was no longer an extraordinary event. 21 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,040 It had become part of everyday life. 22 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,320 Britain was in Sierra Leone for a very different reason. 23 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:47,480 Its military personnel were supporting peacekeeping efforts and helping train the country's armed forces as Sierra Leone 24 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,520 attempted to rebuild itself as a functioning democracy. 25 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:55,320 The British presence therefore carried a larger political and humanitarian purpose. 26 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:57,720 But on one quiet Friday afternoon, 27 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:03,640 a decision made by 11 military training advisers would suddenly place all of them in extraordinary danger. 28 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,360 The men belonged to the Royal Irish Regiment, 29 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,480 and their patrol was commanded by Major Alan Marshall. 30 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:11,720 Instead of remaining on the main road, 31 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,840 Marshall turned onto a dirt road leading toward the jungle. 32 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:19,560 That road took the soldiers directly into territory controlled by the West Side Boys. 33 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,320 The transcript suggests that the reason for leaving the main road was uncertain, 34 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:29,240 with one possibility being that the patrol was attempting to assess the rebel force and understand its strength and weaponry. 35 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,600 Whatever the precise reason, the consequence was the same. 36 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:37,320 The soldiers had entered an area where the rebels believed outsiders had no business being. 37 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:40,920 The soldiers were spotted before they realized they had been seen. 38 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:47,080 Rebels scouts watched them from the surrounding forest, and by the time the patrol reached the river near the rebel base, 39 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,240 the situation had changed completely. 40 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,480 The British soldiers were surrounded, 41 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:55,000 heavily outnumbered and without a realistic means of escape. 42 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:56,200 They surrendered. 43 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,480 11 trained soldiers had suddenly become prisoners. 44 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,480 The rebels stripped them of their valuables and took them into captivity. 45 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,200 Their stated purpose, according to the transcript, 46 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,680 was not simply to hold them for revenge. 47 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,800 The West Side Boys wanted international attention. 48 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:15,880 They believed the British soldiers could be used as leverage to force the outside world 49 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,360 to acknowledge their demands and engage with them. 50 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:22,120 Back in London, however, the situation looked far more serious. 51 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,280 British officials knew that the captured soldiers could potentially be tortured, 52 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,480 killed or separated, and moved to different parts of the country. 53 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,240 The problem was that almost nothing was known about the rebel base. 54 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,840 British authorities did not know exactly how many fighters were there. 55 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,960 What weapons they possessed or where the prisoners were being held, 56 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,760 that uncertainty created a terrible dilemma. 57 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,080 A rescue attempt could save the soldiers, 58 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,280 but a failed rescue could put them in even greater danger. 59 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,080 The British government initially pursued negotiations 60 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,720 while quietly preparing for military action. 61 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,920 The hope was that diplomacy could secure the soldiers' freedom 62 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,720 without turning the hostage crisis into a battle. 63 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:01,720 Three days into the crisis, 64 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:05,720 specialist negotiators from Scotland Yard arrived in Sierra Leone. 65 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:10,520 Their task was to establish communication with the rebels and, most importantly, 66 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,040 keep the prisoners alive while a peaceful solution remained possible. 67 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:17,320 At the center of the negotiations was the rebel commander. 68 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:21,160 A young warlord identified in the transcript as Fodei Calle. 69 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,920 He was portrayed by people who knew him as volatile and unpredictable, 70 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,640 while also being regarded by his own fighters as a capable commander who led from the front. 71 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:33,160 His demands became increasingly difficult to satisfy. 72 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,720 He wanted an amnesty for the West Side Boys and demanded that British forces leave Sierra 73 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:41,640 Leone. He even wanted political recognition for himself. 74 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,920 The negotiators understood the fundamental problem. 75 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,960 They could not realistically accept all of his demands, 76 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:49,880 but they needed to keep him talking. 77 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,200 As long as communication continued, 78 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:56,040 there was at least a possibility that the hostages would remain alive. 79 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,160 And then came a moment that would quietly change everything. 80 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,360 The negotiators requested a meeting with Major Marshall, 81 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:06,040 the commander of the captured patrol. The rebels allowed it. 82 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,720 Marshall understood that the meeting presented an opportunity. 83 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:15,160 During his captivity, he had observed the rebel camp and secretly memorized its defenses. 84 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:19,240 He had noticed the locations of weapons and other military positions. 85 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,560 Back inside the room where the prisoners were held, 86 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,000 he created a detailed map of what he had seen. 87 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,640 The problem was getting that information out. 88 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:32,360 According to the transcript, Marshall concealed the map inside the lid of a pen. 89 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,080 During a meeting with one of the British negotiators, 90 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:40,040 a handshake created a brief opportunity for the information to be passed from one man to another. 91 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:41,800 The exchange succeeded. 92 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:46,680 For the first time, British planners had valuable intelligence about the rebel position. 93 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:49,800 The information changed the nature of the crisis. 94 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:54,440 Britain now had a clearer picture of the enemy and could begin seriously planning a rescue. 95 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,800 The responsibility would eventually fall to Britain's special air service. 96 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:02,360 Better known as the SAS, supported by other British forces. 97 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:04,680 But there was still a major obstacle. 98 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,280 A hostage rescue is not simply about reaching the prisoners. 99 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:12,120 The rescuers must reach them before the captors realize what is happening, 100 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,880 while also preventing the captors from harming or moving the hostages. 101 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:21,480 For days, the British continued negotiating while special forces quietly gathered information. 102 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:26,680 At one point, the rebels agreed to release five of the 11 soldiers in exchange for medicine 103 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:28,200 and a satellite telephone. 104 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:33,320 What appeared to be a negotiating success also provided the British with another opportunity. 105 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:37,640 The satellite telephone allowed them to locate the rebel commander's position. 106 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:39,960 A larger task force was assembled, 107 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,000 but the preferred rescue plan soon began to collapse. 108 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:49,560 A surveillance team sent into the jungle discovered that the remaining hostages had been moved across the river to another camp. 109 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:51,160 Deeper inside the jungle. 110 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:54,040 The original approach was no longer practical. 111 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,160 The terrain made a quiet approach extremely difficult. 112 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:01,880 And the British commanders eventually concluded that the rescue would have to be conducted by air. 113 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:05,800 This was the moment when the operation became exceptionally dangerous. 114 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,320 The rebel force had heavy weapons and numerical strength. 115 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:14,600 The rescue force would be entering an environment controlled by people who knew the jungle intimately. 116 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:18,760 Surprise was essential, but surprise could disappear in seconds. 117 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:21,640 The soldiers themselves understood the danger. 118 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:26,600 According to the transcript, the men eventually gave the mission their own unofficial name. 119 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:28,360 Operation certain death. 120 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:30,280 It was not an official name. 121 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:34,760 It was the soldiers' way of acknowledging what they believed they were being asked to do. 122 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,880 The final plan involved simultaneous attacks. 123 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,720 One group would concentrate on the camp where the hostages were being held. 124 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:47,480 While another force would attack the main rebel position to prevent the larger rebel force from interfering with the rescue. 125 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:50,520 The operation was initially planned for September 8th. 126 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:56,360 But the surveillance team requested additional time because moving through the jungle had taken longer than expected. 127 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,000 The attack was delayed by 24 hours. 128 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:05,640 That delay is one of the details that can easily disappear when this story is reduced to a single sentence about a famous rescue. 129 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:11,080 But it matters because military operations are rarely as clean as history later makes them appear. 130 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:17,400 The plan depended on information, terrain, timing, and people being able to reach the correct positions without being detected. 131 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:21,640 Eventually, before dawn, the rescue force moved. 132 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:27,880 The helicopters approached the rebel territory using the surrounding landscape to reduce the chance of early detection. 133 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:33,240 At approximately 6.30 in the morning, the rebels suddenly realized that something was happening. 134 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:34,920 The rescue had begun. 135 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:37,720 The first priority was the hostage compound. 136 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:44,680 British troops moved toward the prisoners while the surveillance team that had spent days hidden in the jungle finally revealed itself. 137 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:50,760 The rescuers reached the hostage location and identified themselves to the British soldiers who had been waiting for them. 138 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:56,360 Across the river, however, the second part of the operation was becoming increasingly dangerous. 139 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,400 The supporting force encountered fierce resistance. 140 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:03,320 The carefully planned landing did not unfold exactly as expected. 141 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,840 And a serious incident left members of the command group injured. 142 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:13,160 A young officer, Captain Danny Matthews, suddenly found himself responsible for directing the battle. 143 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:15,080 The rebels were fighting back. 144 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:21,080 The British troops had entered the rebels territory, and the west side boys were not simply standing aside. 145 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:27,720 The rescue force had to continue while facing resistance from people who knew the ground and possessed significant firepower. 146 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,360 The central objective remained unchanged. 147 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:32,040 Get the hostages out. 148 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:36,040 Eventually, the British soldiers were moved toward the evacuation area. 149 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:40,840 The mission appeared to be approaching success, but the danger had not disappeared. 150 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:46,600 One S.A. soldier, Brad Tinian, was seriously wounded during the fighting and later died. 151 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:52,280 His death is one of the most important reminders that the rescue was not a flawless military spectacle. 152 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:56,600 The hostages were saved, but the operation came at a human cost. 153 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,960 The British then turned their attention to the rebel commander. 154 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:03,320 The search for Fodei Calais led soldiers into his house. 155 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:05,720 Room by room, they searched the building. 156 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:07,480 First, they found nothing. 157 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,800 Then someone checked underneath the bed. 158 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,120 The rebel commander was hiding there. 159 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:19,080 The man who had demanded political recognition and had held British soldiers as bargaining pieces had now become a prisoner himself. 160 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,440 With their commander captured and their position overwhelmed. 161 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:27,640 Many surviving west side boys abandoned the battlefield and disappeared into the surrounding jungle. 162 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:30,200 Black Zorro was among those who escaped. 163 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:35,560 The six remaining British hostages were eventually taken away from the fighting and brought to safety. 164 00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:42,040 For the soldiers who survived, the consequences would remain with them long after the helicopters left Sierra Leone. 165 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:47,000 For the families of those involved, the operation was not simply a military success. 166 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:52,120 It was a period when the possibility of losing someone they loved had become painfully real. 167 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:55,960 The consequences also extended beyond the eleven soldiers. 168 00:10:55,960 --> 00:11:02,040 The capture of the rebel commander and the defeat of the west side boys sent a powerful message throughout Sierra Leone. 169 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:06,600 The transcript describes the operation as having a major impact on the wider conflict, 170 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,960 with rebels across the country eventually laying down their arms. 171 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:14,120 The west side boys themselves eventually disappeared as an organized force. 172 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:19,320 While surviving members entered reconciliation processes and attempted to return to civilian life. 173 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:23,960 Black Zorro's later life offers another perspective on what war leaves behind. 174 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:28,600 Years after the battle, he returned to the place where he had once lived as a fighter. 175 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,960 The buildings had been damaged and the landscape had changed. 176 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:33,560 But the memories remained. 177 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:39,160 He described the moment he had seen the helicopters arriving and the decision he made to flee into the jungle. 178 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,760 The former fighter eventually became homeless in free town. 179 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,640 That part of the story is easy to overlook. 180 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:50,680 When history remembers Operation Barris, attention naturally goes to the soldiers who were rescued 181 00:11:50,680 --> 00:11:53,000 and the special forces who carried out the mission. 182 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,520 But the aftermath also reveals something less comfortable. 183 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:59,880 War does not simply end when one side wins a battle. 184 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:08,760 People survive with memories, injuries, losses, broken communities and difficult questions about what happens to those who once participated in the violence. 185 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,640 There is another lesson buried inside the story. 186 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:16,760 The crisis began because 11 soldiers entered an area controlled by a hostile force. 187 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:21,000 It escalated because the rebels believed those soldiers could give them leverage. 188 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:27,560 It became a prolonged hostage situation because neither negotiation nor military action could guarantee a safe outcome. 189 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:35,240 And it was eventually resolved because intelligence, patience, negotiation and military preparation came together at the critical moment. 190 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:38,440 The story also shows why intelligence matters. 191 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:44,760 Major Marshall's observations during captivity became valuable because they transformed uncertainty into information. 192 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,680 The British had initially known very little about the rebel position. 193 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:56,120 By the time the rescue was launched, they had a much clearer understanding of where the hostages were and what obstacles stood between them and freedom. 194 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,160 That lesson remains relevant in today's world. 195 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:04,520 Modern conflicts are often followed in real time through phones, social media and television. 196 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:09,000 People can watch a crisis unfold and form opinions before investigators. 197 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,280 Governments or journalists have established what actually happened. 198 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:17,080 But Operation Baris reminds us that what is visible is not always what is known. 199 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:22,280 Sometimes the most important information is hidden, incomplete or deliberately concealed. 200 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,080 There is also a lesson about negotiation. 201 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:29,320 The negotiations in Sierra Leone did not immediately solve the crisis. 202 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:30,600 But they bought time. 203 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,400 That time allowed intelligence to be gathered. 204 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,520 Prisoners to be released and preparations to continue. 205 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:42,120 In situations where human lives are at risk, time can become as valuable as any weapon. 206 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:48,520 And perhaps the deepest lesson is about the people caught inside conflicts created by forces much larger than themselves. 207 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:52,520 The 11 soldiers were not simply numbers in a military report. 208 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:58,040 They were individuals with families, friendships, fears and lives waiting for them at home. 209 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:02,440 The civilians of Sierra Leone were not merely background characters in a war. 210 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:06,600 They were people whose communities had been torn apart by years of violence. 211 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:12,040 Even the former rebel fighters were eventually forced to confront what remained after the fighting stopped. 212 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,280 Operation Baris is therefore more than a story about a daring rescue. 213 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:20,120 It is a story about how quickly a routine decision can become a crisis. 214 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,880 How uncertainty can make a dangerous situation even more dangerous. 215 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:28,520 And how preparation can determine whether people come home or become another casualty of war. 216 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:34,520 On that morning in September 2000, the British soldiers did not know exactly how the rescue would end. 217 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,160 Neither did the people waiting for them at home. 218 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:39,000 But the mission went forward. 219 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,920 The hostages were recovered. 220 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:43,000 The rebel commander was captured. 221 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:47,560 The West Side Boys lost their ability to hold the British soldiers as bargaining pieces. 222 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:52,360 And the operation became one of the defining military events of the Sierra Leone conflict. 223 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,520 Years later, the jungle remained. 224 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:56,600 The buildings remained damaged. 225 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:58,200 The memories remained. 226 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:02,600 And for the people who had been there, the mourning of the rescue was not simply the moment 227 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:04,600 a military operation succeeded. 228 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:09,720 It was the moment 11 people who had entered the jungle as prisoners finally came out alive. 229 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:12,600 This is u.ssecretcrimespodcast. 230 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:17,240 Stick to US for more of information and stories of this nature see you on 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