The Most Daring Rescue Operation in US History
Hunkered down in a mountain-top ravine, armed only with a pistol, and with gun-toting tribesmen bearing down on him, the US Airforce colonel probably had slim hopes for his survival. However, after what is being called the “most daring” Special Forces rescue operation in US history, he is now safely out of Iran. It took hundreds of Special Forces commandos, a CIA drone operation, and some lateral thinking to avert last-minute disaster.
How the Rescue Operation Unfolded
Hundreds of special forces launched a mission deep inside Iran on Saturday after an initial rescue only managed to save one of the two crewmen who ejected near the town of Talkhuncheh. The remaining weapons systems officer hiked through the mountains while evading Iranian search parties and using his rescue beacon sparingly—before he was eventually located by the CIA. Drones then watched over him and killed any Iranians who got within three kilometers before special forces flew in to a desert airstrip near his location.
SEAL Team 6 commandos rescued the officer from the mountain top by helicopter and then returned to the nearby desert airstrip. However, two transport planes and one helicopter became stuck in the mud and unable to take off, leaving more military personnel stranded behind enemy lines as Basij fighters closed in on their botched rescue site. Three more transport planes were flown in to evacuate the downed airman and the rescue party, as they were evacuated under gunfire from the advancing Iranians.
Miraculously, the forces escaped unharmed in what is being hailed as the most daring US special operation in history. As they left, the Americans were forced to “blow up” their own stricken planes and helicopter, to prevent them falling into the hands of the Iranian military. It was a move likely to have cost millions of dollars to the US military and showed the urgency of the US forces to evacuate under extreme pressure.
The Stranded Colonel’s Journey
Injured after ejecting from an F-15 E Strike Eagle fighter jet which had been gunned down over Iran, stuck in a treacherous mountain range deep behind enemy lines and armed with just a handgun for protection, the situation could hardly have been more bleak for the stricken colonel. He became separated from the pilot after they both ejected near the village of Talkhuncheh, Isfahan Province.
Iranian forces were quickly made aware of his presence and offered a $60,000 reward for his capture, leading Basij militia to advance on the mountain roads below. The brave colonel, injured but mobile, trekked 70 miles and climbed to 7,000 feet where he activated his emergency beacon and lay low for nearly two days, hoping for an unlikely rescue. Although he could use his emergency beacon to contact rescuers, it also risked giving his location away to the enemy and so he used it sparingly to avoid detection.
Meanwhile, the CIA confused the Iranians, spreading word that the colonel had already been located and buying themselves time to locate the airman. He was eventually located by the CIA, who alerted the White House and the Pentagon. His pilot had already been rescued just hours after the jet went down, after HH-60W Jolly Green 2 helicopters flew in under fire from Iranians. Two of the helicopters were hit and the crew were injured, but they were able to escape Iranian airspace.
The American Response
The Americans used A-10 Warthogs to slow down the forces advancing on the colonel’s position, blocking roads around the extraction zone, striking communications towers and approaching vehicles. Iranian officials said at least four were killed in the strikes. One A-10 Warthog was also hit by fire and later crashed in the Strait of Hormuz. An MC-130J refuelling aircraft was filmed fuelling two helicopters over the crash site.
Iranian broadcasters then urged locals to seize the American, telling viewers: “If you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police you will receive a precious prize.” Fearing the colonel could be captured, the Americans then launched their daring rescue attempt and flew hundreds of special forces into Iranian airspace to rescue one man, at great risk to themselves.
The Final Escape
US special forces sent in commandos from the elite SEAL Team 6, also known as DEVGRU, and landed at a desert airstrip near the town of Mahyar. The Navy Seals flew in four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters and rescued the officer from the mountain top, before returning to the desert airstrip. As they attempted to evacuate, disaster struck when the C-130 planes became stuck in the dirt and unable to take off, leaving dozens of US forces now also stuck behind enemy lines.
Escaping under gunfire proved how close the forces came to disaster. They were forced to destroy their stranded aircraft as they escaped, leaving millions of dollars worth of American air power in pieces in the Iranian mountains. President Trump celebrated “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History,” but victory had been snatched from the jaws of defeat.
The remaining three rescue planes flew out of Iran to Kuwait and the mission was completed just before midnight. The two stranded aircraft were destroyed to prevent them from falling into IRGC hands, sources told The New York Times. An MH-6 Little Bird helicopter was also destroyed after it was damaged before evacuation, according to reports.
Iranian sources said hundreds of soldiers and Basij fighters who tried to interfere with the rescue operation were “neutralised” by American special forces. Mr Trump said this was the first time in military memory that two US pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in enemy territory, as he defiantly said that no American warfighter would ever be left behind. He said dozens of aircraft armed with “the most lethal weapons in the World” were sent by the US military to retrieve him.
