Episode 2 Heroes and Villains

Two SAS operations, eight years apart, produced radically different legacies. The first made the regiment national heroes. The second sparked decades of controversy.

In 1980, the world watched as the SAS stormed the Iranian Embassy in London to free its hostages. The daring assault brought the secretive regiment into the public eye – but what did that exposure cost?

Eight years later, an SAS operation against suspected IRA bombers in Gibraltar ended with three people dead and questions that would haunt the regiment for decades.

In this episode of SAS: The Shadow War, The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley revisits both missions and explores how the same regiment came to be celebrated for one operation and scrutinised for the other.

Subscribe to The Independent All Access Membership and unlock all eight episodes for just £1

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.