WASHINGTON: The rescue had unfolded with near-perfect precision. Under cover of darkness, US commandos slipped deep into Iran, undetected, scaled a 7,000-foot ridge and pulled a stranded American weapons specialist to safety, moving him toward a secret rendezvous point before dawn on Sunday.
Then everything stopped.
Two MC-130 aircraft that had ferried some of the roughly 100 special operations forces into rugged terrain south of Tehran suffered a mechanical failure and could not take off, a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Suddenly, elite commandos risked being stuck behind enemy lines.
A view of the US Air Force MC-130 Hercules aircraft, similar what were used to ferry US special forces troops assigned to rescue the down US Air Force pilot in Iran. (AFP)
