Terror coast ... Somalia's pirate ports were targeted by SBS
BRIT special forces troops have mounted a daring secret surveillance operation inside terror hotspot Somalia for the first time.
A crack team led by the Special Boat Service spent more than eight perilous weeks checking out ports where pirates dock hijacked tankers.
Sources say it is the first time Britain has placed "boots on the ground" in the lawless African country - the world's biggest terror breeding ground.
Target ... east African coast
The hand-picked team included Royal Marine Commandos who linked up with French special forces.
They needed all their specialist skills to evade capture as they penetrated deep into Somalia. They also used high-powered rigs to sail up close to ships in port.
It is understood they returned from the mission a few weeks ago. Pirates brazenly anchor hijacked vessels, march hostages to camps inland then negotiate ransoms for the return of crews and cargoes.
The cash is then funnelled to the al-Qaeda-backed terror network Al Shabab, which rules large swathes of the crisis-torn nation.
An insider said: "There are countless ports where hijacked ships are docked. SBS troops built up a security picture.
"They moved along the coast at will and used their elite training to avoid detection by the militant factions and warlords running Somalia."
The country has succeeded Afghanistan as the globe's number one breeding ground for Muslim terrorism.
The source said: "Piracy is a national export and the cash is not going on fast cars and mansions - it's funding terrorism."
An MoD spokesman said: "We do not comment on special forces operations."
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/3687620/Brit-special-forces-troops-have-mounted-a-daring-surveillance-operation-in-Somalia-for-first-time.html#ixzz1Rkso2RV6
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