Military sources say that although they had credible intelligence information, the operation remained extremely risky.
"It all depends on the nature of the tip-off and how reliable it is, whether you have got the right place. But it wasn't as though a dozen doors were kicked in first," said a security source in Baghdad.
By 8am local time it was all over. In the end, no force was required: British defense officials, confirming that the SAS had led the operation, said no shots had been fired. The three hostages were flown by US Black Hawk helicopter back into the safety of the Green Zone, where they underwent a gentle debriefing on Thursday.
A more detailed debriefing was planned for later in the day. After four months in custody, the Foreign Office was hopeful that he would have information that could help them locate members of the kidnap group still at large and "other nasties."
The result was greeted with jubilation not just by the men's families but by coalition officials. Few hostages pictured on video in orange suits, in imitation of the Guantanamo inmates, survive.
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