The Brits recently arrested nine Muslims who had been plotting to kidnap a pair of their co-religionists who serve in Her Majesty's armed forces and then behead them, probably as a way of intimidating other Muslims who might otherwise cooperate with the infidels. The two servicemen who had been chosen for the kidnapping showed tremendous bravery in allowing themselves to be used as bait in the attempt to apprehend their would-be killers:
Incredibly, the two men carried on with their daily routines but were secretly shadowed around the clock by police and intelligence personnel, using high-technology tracking and bugging techniques. Surveillance teams kept a constant watch, looking for any sign of the plotters.
The two men were fitted with discreet tracking devices, with similar beacons attached to their cars, and armed response teams were on permanent standby to stage a rescue mission in case a kidnap plot was sprung.
It is not clear, however, if the men were even allowed to tell their families.
A senior military source said yesterday: "We have been aware of the operation for a while, and working closely with West Midlands Police."
One insider added: "It was a brave thing to do. Effectively they agreed to act as bait - like tethered goats - without any way of knowing how real the danger was. They had to trust the police."
There has already been speculation that the men's bravery being recognised with a medal or other award, although Army chiefs are anxious to keep their identities under wraps.
This is the sort of courage and resolve on display every day in Iraq in the lives of the people who willingly put their lives on the line to serve their fellow Iraqis even though they know it makes them targets for the jihadis. That some want us to abandon such amazing people to those who would slaughter them in an instant were we to pull out is incomprehensible to me.
RLC
