Soldier S: The Samarkind Hijack

Book excerpt: In 1994, in the newly independent state of Uzbekistan, a party of mostly British tourists was a day excursion from the fabled city of Samarkand when their bus was hijacked by Muslim fundamentalists. Unknown to the hijackers, this particular tourist group contained an ex-SAS sergeant the recently retired Jamie Doherty and the rebellious daughter of the British Foreign Minister, already a favourite of the tabloid press back home. Uncertain how to respond to the terrorists' demands, the Uzbekistan government accepted a British offer of assistance: two members of the SAS crack Counter Revolutionary Warfare Wing were dispatched to Samarkand, with instructions to liase with the local ex-KGB unit commanded by Nurhan Ismatulayeva. AN Uzbek whose grandmother had been a pioneer fighter for women's rights in the 1920s, Nurhan feared that women like herself would swiftly become second-class citizens if an Islamic republic were ever declared. The negotiations dragged on, and in the mountain fortress prison Doherty had to call on all his formidable expertise and ingenuity to keep his fellow hostages alive, and to prepare them for a prospective rescue mission. The only force likely to have any chance of successfully penetrating the fortress and liberating the prisoners was a group led by men of the legendary Special Air Service the SAS!