by DAVID WILLIAMS, Daily Mail

Four SAS soldiers are to be honoured by President George Bush for the daring rescue of a CIA man facing torture by Al Qaeda fanatics.

They were picked for the highrisk operation because of their success at snatching war criminals in the Balkans.

American Delta Force commandoes did not have enough battle experience for the mission behind enemy lines.

An Army source said yesterday: 'The American was virtually a dead man already. He only had one chance and that was the SAS.'

The four-man squad plucked the agent from a heavily-armed house in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. He had been beaten and was about to be tortured for information.

The SAS men slid down ropes from a helicopter on to the roof of the house, threw in stun grenades then burst through windows.

Dozens of Al Qaeda fighters were killed or hurt in a fierce gun battle. The SAS suffered no casualties.

Using rescue drills perfected under live fire at their Hereford base, they seized the prisoner, who was chained and blindfolded. They took him out on to the roof and he was flown to safety.

A British military source said: 'The CIA agent had become isolated and was able to get a message out before he was taken.

'A Taliban vehicle was tracked by a helicopter observing from a long way off through an image intensifying camera.

'The crew were able to pinpoint the building he had been taken to and the Americans requested assistance. A couple of hours later the SAS went into action.'

The Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters were taken by surprise. The SAS helicopter flew in low to avoid detection and the guards had no hint of the rescue until it was too late.

The source said: 'They were taken

off-guard and when they did return fire they were disorientated and it was inaccurate.

'Three of the team laid down fire on the enemy in close quarter battle and killed most of them while the fourth located the prisoner and got him to safety.

'This was a do-or-die operation in the best traditions of the Regiment. There was no time or opportunity for sophisticated monitoring technology such as that used in the Iranian Embassy siege.'

He explained that U.S. military chiefs turned to the SAS for help because their own commandos

U.S. salutes

FOUR SAS soldiers are to be honoured by President George Bush for the daring rescue of a CIA man facing torture by Al Qaeda fanatics.

They were picked for the highrisk operation because of their success at snatching war criminals in the Balkans.

American Delta Force commandoes did not have enough battle experience for the mission behind enemy lines.

An Army source said yesterday: 'The American was virtually a dead man already. He only had one chance and that was the SAS.'

The four-man squad plucked the agent from a heavily-armed house in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. He had been beaten and was about to be tortured for information.

The SAS men slid down ropes from a helicopter on to the roof of the house, threw in stun grenades then burst through windows.

Dozens of Al Qaeda fighters were killed or hurt in a fierce gun battle. The SAS suffered no casualties.

Using rescue drills perfected under live fire at their Hereford base, they seized the prisoner, who was chained and blindfolded. They took him out on to the roof and he was flown to safety.

A British military source said: 'The CIA agent had become isolated and was able to get a message out before he was taken.

'A Taliban vehicle was tracked by a helicopter observing from a long way off through an image intensifying camera.

'The crew were able to pinpoint the building he had been taken to and the Americans requested assistance. A couple of hours later the SAS went into action.'

The Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters were taken by surprise. The SAS helicopter flew in low to avoid detection and the guards had no hint of the rescue until it was too late.

The source said: 'They were taken

off-guard and when they did return fire they were disorientated and it was inaccurate.

'Three of the team laid down fire on the enemy in close quarter battle and killed most of them while the fourth located the prisoner and got him to safety.

'This was a do-or-die operation in the best traditions of the Regiment. There was no time or opportunity for sophisticated monitoring technology such as that used in the Iranian Embassy siege.'

He explained that U.S. military chiefs turned to the SAS for help because their own commandos were not capable of pulling off the raid. Before arriving in Afghanistan, U.S. Delta Force fighters had very little action under fire.

The British military source said: 'They are immensely grateful to the SAS presence and the rescue of their man from an unspeakable death.'

The four SAS heroes will each receive a Presidential Citation from Mr Bush, an award rarely made to non-Americans.

Because of SAS secrecy, the awards will not be officially recorded. But the men may be flown to Washington to receive them from the President.

Presidential citations usually go to civilians such as scientists, astronauts or academics who do something extraordinary to help society.

Presentations take place in a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House and a private dinner is given by the Pentagon.

The four soldiers from A Squadron have also been recommended for decorations in Britain. Two of them served behind Iraqi lines destroying Scud missiles during the Gulf War.

The SAS was chosen for the operation because of its frontline rescues in the past decade. They snatched war criminals in the Balkans, including a Bosnian Serb police chief wanted for genocide.

SAS troops helped rescue British soldiers in Sierra Leone, seen as useful training for the Afghan operation.

Other members of the elite squadron are to receive at least one Victoria Cross and several Distinguished Service Orders for operations against Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the Tora Bora caves in December.

Members of the Special Boat Service have also been recommended for awards for rescuing another CIA agent from a battle in Afghanistan.

But there is a dispute between the SAS and the Government over whether men who receive awards should be identified.

Senior members of the Government, including Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, want the names of the decorated men to be made public along with detailed citations.

But SAS chiefs do not want their men named under any circumstances even though they have repeatedly distinguished themselves in Afghanistan.

In one battle four SAS soldiers including the Regimental Sergeant Major were wounded in hand-tohand fighting in caves.

During a second battle, eight SAS men in a 'backstop team' pinned down 400 Al Qaeda terrorists trying to escape from caves.