An SAS soldier has been critically wounded in a dramatic parachuting accident during a secret night-time operation against Islamic State in Iraq. The trooper crashed to the ground at high speed following a mid-air collision with a US special forces soldier on the same operation who was also severely injured. Both men had jumped from planes at 18,000ft and went into freefall, sky-diving before opening their parachutes. They then smashed into each other in the darkness, their parachutes became entangled and they plunged to Earth. The horrific accident, which came as British and American special forces were dropped into the target area, triggered a major rescue operation. The stranded men were lying in agony and fearing capture by IS jihadists in enemy territory.