It's 2012 and in Northern Afghanistan, an international crisis has erupted. A group of NGO workers have been kidnapped by local insurgents and are now hidden in a winding mountain region. After attempts to negotiate a deal with the bandits fail, and with the lives of the hostages hanging in the balance, there is only one option... the SAS and Navy SEALs are sent in to find and free them.

The Rescue is the action-packed story of the special forces' attempts save the hostages from almost certain death. Drawing on classified sources and using his own personal insight into the inner-workings of these units, Andy McNab gives a page-turning account of this incredible mission.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Andy McNab about the state of the Afghan war in 2012, the complex network of individuals and organisations both remote and on the ground who make rescue operations possible, and the importance of reliable intelligence in preparing for these kinds of dangerous missions.