London 10 Downing Street
Lat = 51 degrees, 30.2 minutes North
Long = 0 degrees, 7.7 minutes West
Friday 13th November 1987
Seventeen years of terror.
During the Nineteen-seventies and eighties the world was in the grip of an explosion of terrorism, the terrorist groups used violence against civilian populations in an effort to effect change for either religious or ideological reasons.
The United Kingdom was already involved in terrorist warfare over the issues in Northern Ireland, however; the United Kingdom had many terrorist acts committed against it either on UK soil or against its people or property overseas by other terrorist organisations during this period.
Travelling quickly along Whitehall London a dispatch rider makes the right turn into Downing Street, and pulls up outside the famous black door.
The small six-panel door is surrounded by cream a coloured Casing and adorned with a semi-circular fanlight window painted white.
Between the top and middle sets of panels, is the famous numeral ten, the zero of the number “10” is set at a slight angle as a nod to the original number, which had a badly fixed zero.
A black iron knocker in the shape of a lion’s head is between the two middle panels’ below the knocker is a brass letterbox with the inscription “First Lord of the Treasury.”
The courier removed a sealed document pouch from one of the pannier’s and approaches the door upon which a uniformed Police officer opens the door to allow his entry, he is greeted by the Prime ministers secretary whom signs for the package.
Miss Douglas a middle-aged secretary walked down the hall to where the Prime minister is seated in one of the back rooms.
“The package you have been waiting for has arrived Ma’am.”
“Thank you Anne; place it on the table here.”
“Would you like a pot of tea Ma’am?”
The Prime Minister looked at her watch 2:22pm. “Remind me what time Major Strayker is due to arrive.”
“That will be 3pm Ma’am.”
“Serve a Pot of tea Anne, with two cups when he arrives.”
Miss Douglas left the Prime minister alone; when she had left, she opened highly confidential sealed document titled To Unleash a Force and began to read it.
The following are brief accounts of acts of terrorism affecting the United Kingdom from nineteen-seventy to date.
Nineteen seventy.
September the sixth.
Skyjack Sunday took place at Dawson field, in Jordon. TWA, Swissair, BOAC aircraft, along with more than four hundred hostages were hijacked and ordered to the Jordanian airport by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Another terrorist team tried to hijack an El Al Boeing over London but security staff foiled the attempt and capture one of the hijackers, Leila Khalid, alive. The German, Swiss and British Governments all agreed to the PFLP’s demands and released a number of terrorists, including Khalid held in their jails.
October tenth.
Quebec separatists kidnapped state government minister Pierre LA Porte and later murdered him. The same group Kidnaped British trade Commissioner James Cross but released him unharmed.
Nineteen Seventy-one.
January eighth.
British Ambassador to Uruguay Sir Geoffrey Jackson kidnapped and held for eight months by Tupamaros terrorists, demanding the release of political prisoners.
November twenty eighth.
Jordanian Prime Minister Wasfi Tal shot and killed by Palestinian Black September terrorists at the Sheraton hotel in Cairo, Egypt. A month later, the Jordanian ambassador in London, England, is shot and wounded by a Black September hit squad.
Nineteen seventy-two.
September nineteenth.
A Member of the Israeli embassy staff in London, England, killed by Palestinian letter bomb.
Nineteen seventy-four.
November twenty-third.
A British DC-10 airliner hijacked at Dubai, UAE, by Palestinian Rejectionist front terrorists and eventually flown to Tunisia, where a German passenger was killed.
Nineteen Seventy-Eight.
August twentieth.
El Al stewardess killed when crew bus ambushed by Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorists outside Europa Hotel, London, England.
September seventh.
Bulgarian exile journalist Georgi Markov murdered by Bulgarian secret service agents who injected him with poison on a street in London, England.
Nineteen seventy-nine.
June eighteenth.
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe; General Alexander Haig escaped death after a terrorist bomb exploded under a bridge just after his motorcade has passed over it. The German Red army Faction is blamed by western intelligence sources.
Nineteen eighty.
April thirtieth.
Six Iraqi-backed Iranians storm the Iranian Embassy in Princess Gate, London, taking twenty-two hostages. Six days later British Special Air Service anti-terrorist troops re-capture the embassy killing five of the terrorists and freeing the hostages. Two hostages were killed and two more wounded by the terrorists.
Nineteen eighty-two.
June third.
The Israeli ambassador in London, England, Shlomo Argov, shot and seriously injured by terrorists from the Abu Nidal group.
Nineteen eighty-four.
April seventeenth.
A British Police woman was killed outside the Libyan Peoples Bureau embassy in London by small arms fire originating from inside the building.
Nineteen eighty-six.
April seventeenth.
British television journalist John McCarthy was seized in Beirut by Iranian backed terrorists and held hostage to date with a large group of other westerners.
Nineteen eighty-seven.
January tenth.
British church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while on a mission to secure the release of other western hostages held in the city by Iranian backed groups.
Five days ago, Sunday 8th November 1987
Cenotaph Whitehall London.
Nineteen killed and thirty-one injured, assailants identified as part of the Abu Nidal Organization.
In all, there were no less than one hundred and thirty-nine worldwide reported acts of terrorism during this seventeen-year period.
Britain has been the target of numerous terrorist threats and attacks during the seventies and early eighties, MI5 and MI6 as well as the SAS are heavily committed to the war with the IRA. During this time period the Irish troubles accounted for Seventy-five deaths two hundred and eighty-six injured on the mainland.
Not counting the many deaths and injuries in Northern Ireland.
The Prime minister turned over to the next page that was headed Operational Strike Command (OSC), ‘To Unleash a Force’ this contained a six-page report and was signed off by Major General Mick Strayker.
A cough at the door caused the Prime Minister to turn away from the document.
“Strayker come on in I have just finished reading the document you had sent over, it makes for grim reading.”
Miss Douglas followed Major General Strayker carrying a tray that she placed down; she quickly left the room closing the door on her way out.
Strayker poured the tea and sat back as the Prime Minister re read the last six pages.
Mick Strayker had joined the army as a boy soldier at the age of sixteen and had come through the ranks, he was now Forty-four years of age.
Strayker was a good six-foot three inches tall with wide shoulders and a close-cropped haircut, which was now showing signs of greying around the sides.
He was the youngest Major General in the army; and was a natural soldier having seen service during the Mau-Mau uprising in 1960, the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in 1963, Aden 1965, several tours in Northern Ireland and the Falklands in 1982 along with postings in Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Belize and Brunei.
The Prime Minister stood up and walked to the window; “To unleash a Force is an excellent idea however it’s also very radical and controversial.”
“With respect Ma’am You just said; it makes for grim reading, if we are to tackle this problem then we have to be more ruthless than the people and their idealism’s are, there must be no safe haven for them.”
The Prime Minister thought for a few moments, she was a Woman whom made decisions quickly.
“I have made the decision to act on your plan, I will; draw up the Everest list of names to become the authority and monitoring of your new unit, they will be made up as per your recommendations from the top brass from the three armed services along with the top personal from MI6 and MI5.”
“Thank you Ma’am now we can tackle these buggers at their own game.”
“Your report states that you will need sixteen weeks to train up the new Operational Strike Command Teams.”
“Yes Ma’am’”
“Well then Strayker I suggest you meet me and the Everest group back here on Monday morning, say eleven o’clock.”
Strayker left number ten with an elation he had not felt in a long time.