Elite Special Forces soldiers ‘fight off 100 ISIS jihadis during fight to save an Afghan family

Eight elite members of the British special forces reportedly fought off more than 100 ISIS jihadis during an Afghanistan ambush.

The soldiers, from the Special Boat Service (SBS), are claimed to have gone to help an Afghan family after their car was blown up by an improvised bomb in eastern Afghanistan.

The elite troops are said to have refused to abandon the family after one of the adults was killed and a young girl badly hurt, and instead they stayed and fought the jihadis for six hours.

The soldiers’ patrol came under attack while they treated the injured girl, forcing them to retreat to an abandoned compound and fight the terrorists back until night fell and they were able to escape, the Daily Star reported. 

A source told the paper: ‘The SBS team had a medic with them who was trauma-trained. 

‘He immediately began treating the girl and stopped the bleeding. Then the patrol came under attack and they were forced into undertaking a fighting withdrawal to an abandoned compound.

‘The one chance the SBS guys had was to last until nightfall and then they would have the advantage because of their night-vision equipment.’ 

ISIS gained a foothold in Afghanistan shortly after the group swept across Syria and Iraq in the summer of 2014. Above: ISIS fighters at a training camp

Once under the cover of darkness, the elite team reportedly tricked the jihadis into thinking they were in a different position and then fled to safety with the injured girl.

The team had been on a joint patrol with Afghan special forces in eastern Afghanistan when they were ambushed. 

It is not clear when the rescue took place.

The SBS has been involved in a number of operations in Afghanistan since the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. 

By 2014, nearly all British combat troops had been withdrawn from the country.

However, hundreds have been sent back in the past 12 months following a request from US President Donald Trump and Nato to send more soldiers to the country to fight the threat from ISIS and other terror groups.

By 2014, nearly all British combat troops had been withdrawn from Afghanistan but around 1,000 have since returned to counter the renewed terror threat (Above: A British soldier walks during a patrol in Helmand Province in 2007)

There are now around 1,000 British troops deployed in Afghanistan.

ISIS gained a foothold in Afghanistan shortly after the group swept across Syria and Iraq in the summer of 2014.

But since the group lost its so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq, thousands of its fighters have moved into Afghanistan.   

Who are the Special Boat Service?

The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the Royal Navy and is comparable with the more well-known Special Air Service (SAS), the Army’s equivalent. 

They are among the most elite and capable soldiers in the British military and are even more feared than the highly-trained Royal Marines. 

The service is made up of small teams who specialise in undercover raids and using the element of surprise.

The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the Royal Navy and is comparable with the more well-known Special Air Service (SAS), the Army’s equivalent. Above: Members of the SBS

In its infancy, the service’s soldiers would use small boats launched from submarines to paddle ashore before sabotaging enemy targets such as rail and communication lines. 

However, because nearly all their operations are highly classified, little is known about any individuals who make up the unit. 

Most are drawn from the Royal Marines Commandos, and all are exceptionally physically and mentally fit.   

Members of the SBS are known to have been involved in both the Afghanistan and Iraq invasions.