Special Forces hero Peter McAleese, sent to kill drug lord Pablo Escobar, dies at 81

SPECIAL Forces hero Peter McAleese, who was once tasked with killing Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, has died aged 81.

In 1989, McAleese was offered a million dollars for murder Escobar.

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The job was financed by Escobar’s rival Cali cartel and is said to have had the backing of the US government.

He led a 12-man Black Ops team, but just a few kilometers from his target’s estate in Medellin, his helicopter crashed in the jungle.

McAleese broke his ribs in the accident and spent three days on the mountainside waiting to be rescued.

He said: “The pain was f*****g unbearable. I started thinking, how did I get into this shit?

McAleese was born in a rough part of Glasgow and joined the S.A.S in 1962.

He was kicked out for “disciplinary reasons” and served three stints jail. He later became a private soldier and fought in civil wars around the world Africa.

After his failed mission to kill Escobar, he returned to Britain and bought a pub.

He also wrote a memoir, No Mean Soldier.

A friend said: “Peter was a warrior in the military world, but a gentleman on the streets.”