Omani Liberation Army

This file relates to operations in the aftermath of the Oman rebellion to capture the rebel leaders Ghalib Bin Ali Al Hina'i, Taleb Bin Ali Al Hina’i and Sheikh Sulaiman Bin Himyar Al Nabhani. It covers correspondence on:

• The granting of permission for RAF support for the mission
• A blockade of the Rostaq-Nakhl area
• The importance of avoiding publicity of the operations and the involvement of aircraft
• Intelligence on the whereabouts of the rebel leaders
• F C L Chauncy’s concerns about the possibility of guerrilla or terrorist activities developing if strong action is not taken
• An attack on a Petroleum Development (Oman) truck near Izki
• The British Ministry of Defence’s acceptance of operational responsibility for the conduct of operations in Oman
• Examples of similar situations from the Governor of Aden
• Minutes from the 25th meeting of the Military Coordination Committee (Persian Gulf)
• The arrest of Yusif Bin Ibrahim Al Minhas, suspected as acting as a courier between Dammam and Dubai and Hasan Saud, suspected of being a courier between Dubai and the Interior of Oman
• Plans for the Sultan to attack Wadi Bani Habib, a village in Jebel Akhdar which has been supplying Taleb; instructions to inform the US State Department of these plans; the failure of the mission and the suggestion that the best option would be a heavy bomb attack; and long-term military alternatives
• The possibility of Sulaiman surrendering; and the possibility of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman Saeed Bin Taimur separating Sulaiman from Taleb and pardoning the former
• A translated set of documents and personal letters taken from Yusif Bin Ibrahim, including lists of addressees, a list of the followers of Sheikh Mansur Bin Ali Al Raqieshi and a memorandum regarding the movements of the rebel leaders
• Reports of the training of a new Omani Liberation Army
• A report of the detainment of Duru, Awamir and Manasir tribesmen by Turki Bin Ataishan for use as guides for an expedition
• The appointment of a two-man committee by the Arab States to take soundings of non-Arab delegations regarding whether the Oman issue will be raised in the UN General Assembly
• A Parliamentary Question relating to the number of casualties in Oman
• The News Department’s line that HMG’s involvement in operations in Oman is minimal and merely supportive of the Sultan’s forces
• The consideration of future military action in Oman
• HMG’s attempts to disrupt the courier systems between Saudi Arabia and Oman
• A description of Taleb.