The Squadron

by Mark Urban

It’s 2005, and Baghdad is descending into a maelstrom of violence. Murder, kidnap, and bombing are daily events. The squadron are a handful of SAS men sent into this chaos in order to turn the situation around. Soon after they arrive, the chance arises for them to make a difference. After months of fruitless searching, the spooks intercept an email that could lead them to the kidnappers of Reg Harrison, a British businessman. Staff Sergeant Daz Hooper, the man looked up to in the squadron as its ultimate Team Leader, is given the task of tracking down Harrison. Within hours the pressure is on, as Daz deploys drones, spies, soldiers, and helicopters to the task of finding the abducted businessman before he is murdered. The Squadron is a fast moving and intricate description of special operations, as they are carried daily out in the world’s trouble spots. This is a secret war barely understood by the public in whose name these battles are fought. It is also a vivid portrait of life in a tight knit SAS team, with all its characters and deadpan humour, told from the perspective of one of Daz’s team mates in the unit. Mark Urban is the Diplomatic and Defence Editor of the BBC’s Newsnight program. He has reported many times from the world’s trouble spots and is also the author of definitive non-fiction works on the “Task Force Black” about the special forces effort in Iraq from 2003-2009 and “Big Boys’ Rules” on the secret campaign in Northern Ireland.

61 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 29, 2014

About the author

Mark Urban is a British journalist, author and broadcaster, and is currently the Diplomatic Editor for BBC Two's Newsnight.