SAS: The Shadow War

Episode 7 The Price of Peace

2026-11-01

As the peace process gathered pace in Northern Ireland, the war on the ground did not simply stop.

In episode seven of SAS: The Shadow War, The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley hears how the mission changed as political negotiations moved closer to a deal. Former SAS commanders describe hunting an IRA sniper team, mounting a huge surveillance operation and, increasingly, being told that restraint mattered as much as force.

One commander recalls warning his men that, in the context of the peace process, the death of an IRA member could carry consequences far beyond the battlefield.

As the Good Friday Agreement approached, the episode asks how soldiers adapted when winning the fight was no longer the only objective, and whether the shadow war helped bring the conflict to an end.

Subscribe to The Independent All Access Membership and unlock all eight episodes for just £1

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No. of episodes

8

Latest episode

2026-11-01

Where can you listen?

For decades, the SAS has operated beyond public view, its missions shaped by secrecy and its reputation burnished by the rare moments when that secrecy has fallen away.

In SAS: The Shadow War, The Independent's world affairs editor Sam Kiley traces the regiment’s covert campaign against the IRA in Northern Ireland, from the surveillance operations and ambushes of the Troubles to the hard questions that still endure today. Along the way, the Iranian Embassy siege and a deadly operation in Gibraltar reveal how the SAS became both a celebrated and a contested force.

Drawing on rare and previously unheard first-hand accounts from former operatives and those who witnessed the conflict up close, this eight-part documentary series explores a war fought largely out of sight – and the legal battle now being waged over how its actions should be judged.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.