The Trucial Oman Scouts was a paramilitary force that the British raised in 1951 as the Trucial Oman Levies , to serve in the Trucial States . In 1956, the Levies were renamed the Trucial Oman Scouts. In 1971, upon the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) , the scouts were handed to the United Arab Emirate's government and formed its Federal Union Defence Force (UDF) which is today renamed as the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces .
65-588: Decisive Trucial Oman Scouts victory [REDACTED] Saudi Arabia Supported by Trucial Emirates [REDACTED] British Empire Supported by [REDACTED] Turki bin Abdullah Al Otaishan ; † [REDACTED] Major Abdullah bin Nami ;( WIA ) Supported by The Buraimi dispute, also known as the Buraimi war ( Arabic : حرب البريمي ),
130-484: A 15-man Saudi Arabian armed police garrison in an old fort and the village of Hamasa. The Saudi garrison had been based there since August 1952 when they occupied the Buraimi Oasis following an armed clash in which three people were killed. The dispute arose from Saudi Arabia 's claim, first made in 1949, of sovereignty over a large part of Abu Dhabi territory where oil was suspected to be present and an area in
195-539: A 20-mile circle around the centre of the Buraimi Oasis. The claim arose after a geological party from the Arabian American Oil Company ( Aramco ) crossed the 'Riyadh line'. This was a border line negotiated in 1935 by the British on behalf of Oman and Abu Dhabi with Saudi Arabia, which the latter had rejected. The Aramco party was accompanied by Saudi guards and was met by Patrick Stobart, then
260-423: A British captain, before the rebels surrendered next morning. Sheikh Saqr was then exiled. In February 1972, there was a brief border war between Bedu tribesmen from Kalba and Fujairah over a disputed area that only covered a quarter of an acre but included water wells and date palm trees. Twenty-two people were killed and another 12 were wounded before UDF troops were able to impose a ceasefire. In May 1976,
325-826: A Sikh gentleman by the name of Hari Singh Bhatia. A Scouts Club was eventually built at the base, constructed by local contractor Esa Mousa. The base is still in use today, as the headquarters of the Sharjah Police Special Tasks Department. The TOS Training School and Depot for Arab Recruits was located in Manama , Ajman , while the Desert Regiment and Mortar Troop were based at Adhen . Other TOS squadrons maintained bases at Jahili Fort , Al Ain ; Masafi ; Mirfa and Khatt , in Ras Al Khaimah . Local recruits had been sought by
390-574: A banquet - a popular move in the impoverished area. In all, he collected some 95 statements of support through his efforts. The Sulṭan of Muscat and Imam of Oman (in a rare collaboration) gathered their forces to expel the Saudis but were persuaded by the British Government to exercise restraint pending attempts to settle the dispute by arbitration. The Sultan of Muscat, Said bin Taimur , and
455-758: A conflict with the Bani Qitab in 1905. The village neighbouring Hatta, Masfut, was originally dependent on the Na'im of Buraimi but fell to the Al Bu Kharaiban ruler of Ajman, Rashid bin Humaid III , in 1948. Al Bu Kharaiban Nuaimi rule in Ajman effectively began with Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi who, with some fifty followers, took control of the coastal settlement of Ajman from members of
520-535: A hurry as the TOL was not a large enough force to manage the blockade of Buraimi effectively, and they arrived at the TOL base in Sharjah as a poorly trained force with flawed leadership. Their officer was replaced by Major Otto Thwaites, who had previously trained a detachment from Aden successfully. Trouble soon broke out and it was discovered the men were selling ammunition to local tribesmen and some were in contact with
585-420: A large part of Abu Dhabi territory where oil was suspected to be present and an area in a 20-mile circle around the centre of the Buraimi Oasis. The claim arose after a geological party from the Arabian American Oil Company ( Aramco ) crossed the 'Riyadh line'. This was a border line negotiated in 1935 by the British on behalf of Oman and Abu Dhabi with Saudi Arabia, which the latter had rejected. The Aramco party
650-630: A location adjacent to the RAF base , originally as the Trucial Oman Levies (TOL) in 1951, but renamed in 1956 by Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), Field Marshal Templar. Substituting the word 'scout' for 'levies' was done to eliminate the impression that the force was conscripted, as well as to make the force sound more exotic and alluring. The duties of the TOL as of 1951 were to (1) maintain peace and good order on
715-438: A piece of contemporary news as a framing theme of the story, including the actual BBC News broadcast clip opening of said event; even though it diverged into a satirical take on the situation from then on. Trucial Oman Scouts The Trucial Oman Scouts were a highly respected and impartial gendarmerie and were regarded as well trained, well paid, and efficient. The Trucial Oman Scouts were established at Sharjah , in
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#1732775685347780-666: A proposed move to shrink the TOL being reversed and the force being increased. This move forced the Foreign Office to seek funding and in 1956, the Foreign Office and War Office shared the burden of funding the TOL equally. In order to encourage volunteers to the force, it was decided in late 1955 to change its name to the Trucial Oman Scouts. By 1957, the Scouts included 160 British officers and soldiers and, by 1960, had 1,000 paramilitary personnel. Two companies of
845-581: A reserve squadron, a signals squadron, a motor transport squadron, a medical centre, a workshop, a cadet squadron, a cadet school, and a training depot. From March 1964, the Commanding Officer (COMTOS) was Freddie de Butts. Among his officers was Jack Briggs, formerly a police officer in both Palestine and Qatar, who would go on to command the Dubai Police. By 1965, the British Government was investing some £2 million annually in maintaining
910-509: A small encampment established by Edward Henderson, an oil company executive known to the Sheikhs who had been seconded to the Levies. A cease-fire was negotiated and the two Sheikhs and their families and closest followers were sent by air to Bahrain . Sheikh Saqr left behind him a treasure trove, some ten brass-bound chests filled with silver coins amounting to some 175,000 Rupees. Following
975-643: The Al Bu Shamis Nuaimi in a short conflict. This was sealed in 1816/17 by the taking of the fort by Rashid. Faction fighting between the Na'im subsections wasn't limited to Masfut, however, and with the continuing decline of the larger Na'im tribal federation beyond Buraimi, the Al Bu Shamis maintained an almost completely separate identity and, in fact, the Al Bu Shamis leader of Al Heera – Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Muhammad Al Shamsi
1040-672: The Al Bu Shamis branch of the Na'im tribe, much to the disgust of the Sultan of Oman. The Al Bu Kharaiban Sheikh of the Na'im was also pulled into the dispute, despite trying to remain removed from it initially. Al Otaishan was invited into the village by Sheikh Rashid and proceeded to proclaimed himself governor, and announced that he had come at the call of the indigenous population to “protect them.” Al Otaishan and his men set about distributing gifts of clothes, money and other supplies and held
1105-504: The wali of Al Ain. Zayed was approached by the Saudis, first with an offer of 50% of any oil revenues from the area, then a new car and 40,000 Rupees. A third approach offered Zayed 400 million Rupees and finally, he was informed that the Saudi representative, Abdullah Al Qurayshi, wished to present him with three pistols. In 1955 arbitration proceedings began in Geneva only to collapse when
1170-689: The 1950 'London Agreement' whereby all exploration and troop movements would cease in the area until the issue of sovereignty was resolved. Despite ongoing negotiations, the Saudis attempted to take back the oasis. A conference was held in Dammam on 28 January 1952, attended by the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Rulers of Abu Dhabi and Qatar and the British Political Resident, Bernard Burrows. Following long deliberation,
1235-761: The Al Bu Falah was often fractious and, resentful of the encroachment of the Al Bu Falah and their allies the Manasir in the mid-late C19th, adopted Wahhabism as a doctrine. Following the Saudi withdrawal in 1871, they submitted to Muscat . Holding the fort in Buraimi, the tribe was powerful in that area but would rally behind Zayed bin Khalifa both there and in Hatta, where they asked for his support in interceding in
1300-579: The Bedouin Sheikhs, although they were cautious as they had no involvement in what was an Omani problem – the tribes were dependents of Muscat. However, Zayed had one of his most trusted advisors working behind the scenes to try and stop the Kaabis and Shamsis firing at the Levies. The Levies were planning a night attack on the Bedouin positions, when at 11pm, Sheikh Saqr and Sheikh Rashid arrived at
1365-710: The British political officer for the Trucial States. Stobart was briefly detained by the Saudis, who disarmed his guards. The incident led the British to formally protest to the king of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz Al Saud . The Saudis responded by extending their territorial claim to include the right to negotiate with the Sheikhs of the entire Buraimi/Al Ain Oasis and areas of the southern and western part of Abu Dhabi. The British planned to use overwhelming force to prevent bloodshed, sending in 220 men, two squadrons of
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#17327756853471430-817: The British War Minister visited and inspected the Scouts in Aden, and chatted to one of the British Sergeants: Bert Baverstock. The final defeat of the rebels took place in January 1959 in an action led by the British SAS that the Trucial Oman Scouts supported, along with the Sultan's Northern Frontier Regiment . The move to use the TOS, seen as a purely internal force, to intervene in a neighbouring conflict led to criticism in
1495-619: The British airbase in Sharjah and two at Habbaniyah ), 3 Ansons in Bahrain and a section of Meteor fighters based in Sharjah. These were supported by two frigates. These forces were used to blockade the Saudi contingent, with attempts to reinforce them turning back truck convoys and camel trains from Saudi Arabia. The TOL was instructed to disarm any Saudi attempting to run the blockade and return them to Saudi Arabia. The Levies from Aden turned out to be problematic: they had been recruited in
1560-601: The British arbitrator, Sir Reader Bullard , objected to Saudi Arabian attempts to influence the tribunal and withdrew – one of the two judges to resign, the other being the Belgian President. Given these breaches of the agreement, the British government decided to unilaterally abrogate the Standstill Agreement and take the oasis on 25 October 1955. The British planned to use overwhelming force to prevent bloodshed, sending in 220 men, two squadrons of
1625-659: The British commander of the Jordanian Arab Legion . Glubb suggested an annual budget of £40,000, the Foreign Office (FO) agreed a budget of £30,000 and the Levies was established under a British commander, Major Hankin Turvin, with two Arab officers and 32 other ranks seconded from the Arab Legion. It was later expanded to 30 British officers in command positions, with a handful of Arab officers. It recruited its soldiers locally, mostly from Abu Dhabi . By 1952
1690-664: The Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which contained a number of oil fields. The dispute was eventually settled in 1974 by the Treaty of Jeddah , between Sheikh Zayed (then President of the UAE) and Faisal and Saudi Arabia formally recognised the United Arab Emirates. However, the treaty remains disputed. The first episode of the seventh season of The Goon Show was called " The Nasty Affair at the Buraimi Oasis ". The Goon Show used
1755-660: The Imam both raised some 6,000-8,000 tribal forces and assembled at Sohar , preparing to march on Buraimi before being appealed by Britain to stand down. A Standstill Agreement was reached in October 1952. A British military build-up took place, with 100 Trucial Oman Levies (TOL, later known as the Trucial Oman Scouts ), a British-backed force based in Sharjah , 300 Aden Protectorate Levies, 7 armoured cars and 14 Land Rovers supported by 4 Lancaster bombers (two based at
1820-726: The Na'im in general as 'the most powerful Ghafiri tribe in the Dhahirah district of the Oman Sultanate' and identifies Ajman and Hamriyah as particular strongholds of the tribe, whose Bedouin he describes as 'warlike and predatory.' The Na'im in Buraimi (including the Khawatir and Al Bu Shamis ) were led by the Al Bu Kharaiban and were originally loyal to Shakhbut bin Khalifa of Abu Dhabi, and would be again to Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, but their relationship with
1885-619: The Persian Gulf, where he re-organised the Trucial Oman Scouts and laid the foundations for what is now the Sultan of Oman 's Land Forces. The Scouts then expanded from 1,600 to 1,700 personnel in 1970 and to 2,500 in 1971. The TOS was headquartered in Sharjah, with its base moving from RAF Sharjah to Mirgab, a purpose-built base located in the Northern Sharjah suburb of Al Heera . The Scouts maintained small garrisons in most of
1950-527: The Rulers. The Rulers of the Trucial States were not consulted regarding the formation or establishment of the force and only the Ruler of Sharjah, who rented out the base to be used by the Levies on a 10-year lease, was informed of their establishment. The force was founded following consultation between the British Foreign Office and Brigadier John Bagot Glubb ('Glubb Pasha'), at the time
2015-460: The Saudis. Thwaites returned a number of men to Sharjah, but there was more trouble over the killing of a civilian in an attempt to break the blockade. A mutiny broke out when Thwaites arrested the men concerned, with a number of the Aden Levies firing their guns as they pressed for the release of the men. The Commander of the Levies ordered the men to return to their posts and the ringleaders of
Buraimi dispute - Misplaced Pages Continue
2080-549: The Scouts, which ultimately reported to the Political Resident of the time. Former TOS commander Freddie de Butts cites this relationship as a cause behind the formation of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force by Sheikh Shakhbut in 1965. This was followed by the formation of similar forces by the Rulers of other emirates. In 1969, British General Roland Gibbs became Commander of British Land Forces in
2145-429: The TOL shot him dead. A Jordanian Regimental Sergeant Major , Daud Sidqi, and a Royal Air Force doctor, Flying Officer A.L.C. Duncan, were also killed in the attack, and two British NCOs, Sergeant Chinn and Corporal Cruickshank, were wounded but were able to drive away and get help. The three Yemeni soldiers who had carried out the attack fled to Saudi Arabia, but were eventually returned to Sharjah to stand trial after
2210-549: The TOS since the early 1950s, with a team travelling around the villages of the interior to seek new recruits. It was eventually decided to open a school to act as a feeder for recruitment, as well as to improve the image of the government. The TOS opened its school in May 1961 in the inland village of Manama, an exclave of Ajman and in its first year enrolled 50 students. The school offered an elementary education and, after finishing three years' study, students were given preference to enter
2275-794: The TOS. By 1954, the school was training 65 students aged between 10 and 17. The most promising of these were sent to the UK for officer training. The formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971 resulted in the Scouts being reassigned into the Federal military body, the Union Defence Force (UDF). At the time, the Force consisted of 2,500 regular military personnel. In 1975, the UDF had 3,250 regular military personnel organised into six Mobile Squadrons and an Air Detachment with seven helicopters. The Force
2340-521: The Trucial Oman Levies, against the small Saudi force. However, the operation was complicated by the presence of large numbers of Bedouin around the oasis, including Kaabis from Mahadah under Sheikh Obaid bin Juma, who were subjects of Muscat but supported Shaikh Rashid bin Hamad of the Al Bu Shamis, themselves a notable force. The Na'im were also, under Sheikh Saqr Al Nuaimi, an unknown quantity. The operation
2405-483: The Trucial Oman Levies, against the small Saudi force. However, the operation was complicated by the presence of large numbers of Bedouin around the oasis, including the Bani Kaab from Mahdah under Sheikh Obaid bin Juma, who were subjects of Muscat but supported Shaikh Rashid bin Hamad of the Al Bu Shamis, themselves a notable force. The Na'im were also, under Sheikh Saqr Al Nuaimi, an unknown quantity. The operation
2470-657: The Trucial Oman Scouts fought in the Jebel Akhdar War in the Sultanate of Oman between 1955-1959, a rebellion against the Sultan of Muscat. Sergeant Major Khamis Hareb was awarded the Military Medal for his "fine leadership and courage" on 21 August 1956. Sir George Middleton, the British Political Resident in the Trucial Coast, pinned the medal on Sergeant Major Hareb. In January 1962, John Profumo,
2535-451: The Trucial States, among both the Rulers and their people and a large number of recruits withdrew their applications. During the 1962-1976 Dhofar Rebellion , it was believed that many members of the Dhofar Liberation Front were former soldiers from the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces (SAF), or the Trucial Oman Scouts. In 1960, the Scouts mounted a road-building program, leading the construction of roads from Masafi to Fujairah through
2600-474: The Trucial States; (2) prevent or suppress any traffic of slaves (but not slavery itself as this was considered an 'internal affair' by the British ); and (3) provide an escort for any British political representative traveling in the Trucial States. Their duties were later expanded to include helping maintain law and order and preventing internal tribal conflicts from interfering with the work of oil companies seeking to explore for oil under concessions agreed with
2665-418: The Union Defence Force unified and incorporated the military forces of the various UAE emirates. The former state units then lost their individual identities. The UDF was organized as highly mobile light armored cavalry and included 40% locally recruited Arab personnel, including 50 Jordanian NCOs and Omanis, who formed the bulk of the troops. It also included Iranians, Indians, and Pakistanis. It remained under
Buraimi dispute - Misplaced Pages Continue
2730-507: The Wadi Hamm, and from Masafi to Dibba through the Wadi Ayyinah, by blasting a route through the mountains using dynamite. This route remains a key road link to the East Coast of the UAE today. By 1964 the Scouts had 1,500 Arab officers, NCOs and men, with 100 British officers, warrant officers and NCOs. It was organized into five rifle squadrons, each with three British and three Arab officers and 145 Arab other ranks, and one group equipped with machine guns and 3-inch mortars. There were also
2795-415: The basis of territorial disputes with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and continued to deal with the emirates as individual emirates bypassing the federal union. In 1972, an approach was made to King Faisal regarding recognition of the Emirates and resolution of the border issue. Faisal maintained his territorial claims when a UAE delegation visited him in Taif in July 1972, claiming title to extensive tracts in
2860-409: The coastal towns and other key posts, including a base in Dubai from 1952 and a permanent garrison – one Field Squadron – at Buraimi Oasis. The Mirgab Military base included a Medical Centre, Mechanical Transport Squadron, Signals Squadron and Quartermaster, with a dhobi and coffee shop owned and operated by an Iranian, Esa bin Mousa Al Amri, as well as a camp shop owned by a Mr Lalchand and managed by
2925-449: The command and control of 30 British officers until the mid-1980s. Al Bu Kharaiban The Al Bu Kharaiban is an Arab tribe of the United Arab Emirates , a subsection of the Na'im and the tribe from which the Rulers of the Emirate of Ajman are drawn. Lorimer , in his 1908 Gazeteer of the Persian Gulf, recorded some 140 Al Bu Kharabian living in Hafit village near Buraimi , noting they were semi-settled, cultivating dates in
2990-446: The conference was postponed until February, but failed to reach agreement. On 31 August 1952, a group of some 80 Saudi Arabian guards, 40 of whom were armed, led by the Saudi Emir of Ras Tanura , Turki bin Abdullah Al Otaishan, crossed Abu Dhabi territory and occupied Hamasa , one of three Omani villages in the oasis, claiming it as part of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. They were assisted in this by Sheikh Rashid bin Hamad of
3055-442: The conflict, the British decided to split the territory of Buraimi Oasis, ceding the areas under the Na'im and Al Bu Shamis, Buraimi and Hamasah, to Oman and the territory under Sheikh Zayed, including the village of Al Ain and its oases, to Abu Dhabi. After the declaration of independence of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, Saudi Arabia withheld recognition of the new nation and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as its President on
3120-453: The end of 1951 this trade had reportedly ceased. By 1955, the Trucial Oman Levies had 500 personnel organized into three rifle squadrons. In 1956, the force was organised into four rifle squadrons, including one squadron based at Buraimi. The Trucial Oman Levies fought a brief battle at the Al Buraimi Oasis on 26 October 1955. Two rifle squadrons deployed, along with troops from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman 's personal guard, forcibly to evict
3185-412: The fighting took place after the surrender of the Saudis, with the Al Bu Shamis and Bani Kaab Bedouin force of some 200 men putting up a spirited resistance to the Levies. A Lincoln bomber was called in, but couldn't use its machine guns as the area was populated by civilians. Sheikh Zayed and his brother, Sheikh Hazza , were present during the action and agreed to help the British open negotiation with
3250-548: The fighting took place after the surrender of the Saudis, with the Bedouin force of some 200 men putting up a spirited resistance to the Levies. A Lincoln bomber was called in, but couldn't use its machine guns as the area was populated by civilians. The TOL operation in October 1955 resulted in nine deaths, including seven Saudi policemen/military personnel and two TOL soldiers, Jundi (private) Obaid Mubarak al Katabi and Jundi Sayid al Hadhrami. Three TOL soldiers were decorated for gallantry during this battle. Captain A. R. Steggles
3315-446: The force numbered some 200 men. There were also Yemeni soldiers assigned to the Trucial Oman Scouts from the Aden Protectorate Levies (APL), a British colonial militia based in South Yemen. It finally reached battalion strength. In November 1952, some TOL soldiers were believed to be selling ammunition to the Saudis in Buraimi. Major Otto Thwaites, the commander of the TOL, went to Buraimi to investigate. There, three Yemeni soldiers of
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#17327756853473380-420: The former ruler of Sharjah, who included the former ruler, Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan (who ruled from 1951 until the British deposed him in 1965), attacked and seized the palace. The attackers killed Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi , ruler since 1965, along with one of his bodyguards . Sharjah soldiers and troops of the Union Defence Force then surrounded the palace. Several UDF troops were wounded, including
3445-403: The intervention of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi . The shootings revealed a key weakness in not screening the Yemeni soldiers from the APL before they joined the Trucial Oman Levies. The first major achievement of the Levies was the cessation of both the slave trade into Saudi Arabia and abductions into slavery, especially in the area of the Buraimi Oasis , and by
3510-410: The mutiny be sent to Sharjah, but a further incident occurred when Thwaites attempted to send an NCO back to Sharjah. The man refused to go and, together with two others, opened fire on Thwaites, killing him as well as another British officer and a Jordanian adjutant. Having alienated local sentiment, the Aden Levies were judged beyond repair and returned to Aden, leaving behind a considerable vacuum which
3575-414: The oasis. The Saudi forces were supplied by air as any other route was impractical for them. The arbitration was to take place in Geneva . Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia embarked on a campaign of bribery to obtain declarations of tribal loyalty on which its case was to be based. This campaign even extended to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan , brother of Sheikh Shakhbut , the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and at that time
3640-408: The right to negotiate with the Sheikhs of the entire Buraimi/Al Ain Oasis and areas of the southern and western part of Abu Dhabi. The Saudis relied on historical precedent (the oasis had been under Wahhabi influence on a number of occasions in the period between 1800–1869) for their claims, which were countered by arguments from Abu Dhabi and Muscat based on more recent events. The argument led to
3705-424: The summer and roaming to find pasture for their flocks in the winter. He also observed some 700 Al Bu Kharaiban in Ajman town and a further 90 townsfolk and 90 Bedouin at Hamriyah (today a part of Sharjah). He also notes a number of Al Bu Kharaiban in Buraimi village itself, as well as in Su'arah in the Buraimi Oasis , and that it is from these members of the tribe that the Ruler of Ajman was drawn. Lorimer identifies
3770-471: The town of Al Buraimi in Oman , and parts of what is now the city of Al Ain in the Eastern Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi . It amounted to an attempted Saudi invasion of the Buraimi Oasis. Its roots lay in the partitioning of tribal areas and communities which took place in the Trucial States when oil companies were seeking concessions to explore the interior. The dispute arose from Saudi Arabia 's longstanding claim, made in 1949, of sovereignty over
3835-423: Was a series of covert attempts by Saudi Arabia to influence the loyalties of tribes and communities in and around the oil-rich Buraimi oasis in the 1940s and 1950s, which culminated in an armed conflict between forces and tribes loyal to Saudi Arabia , on one side, and Oman and the Trucial States (today the United Arab Emirates, or UAE ), on the other, which broke out as the result of a territorial dispute over
3900-438: Was accompanied by Saudi guards and was met by Patrick Stobart, then the British political officer for the Trucial States. Stobart was briefly detained by the Saudis, who disarmed his guards. The incident, presented as actively supported by the CIA in Allen Dulles’ memoirs, led the British to formally protest to the king of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Al Saud . The Saudis responded by extending their territorial claim to include
3965-491: Was awarded the Military Cross for saving a wounded TOL soldier under heavy fire. Sergeant Mohammed Nakhaira was awarded the Military Medal for his "courage, cool nerve and leadership." Lance Corporal Said Salem was awarded the Military Medal for driving a vehicle under heavy fire to deliver ammunition and retrieve wounded. Lance Corporal Salem was wounded in the fighting, and showed "the highest standard of personal courage and devotion to duty." The Buraimi Dispute resulted in
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#17327756853474030-482: Was equipped with Scorpion light tanks , Ferret armoured cars , Land Rovers , eight 81mm Mortars , and two dhows . The handover from the Trucial Oman Scouts to the Union Defence Force formally took place on 22 December 1971, when UAE Minister of Defence Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited all the Trucial Oman Scouts bases together with TOS Commanding Officer Freddie de Butts. In January 1972 during an attempted coup d'etat in which 18 armed supporters of
4095-428: Was eventually filled by a company from the British air base. Following the Standstill Agreement on 30 July 1954, it was agreed to refer the dispute to an international arbitration tribunal., which the Director of Central Intelligence Allen Dulles unsuccessfully tried to subvert. The Arbitration Agreement allowed for one officer and fifteen men from both the Saudi force and the Trucial Oman Levies to be stationed within
4160-462: Was intended to quickly displace the Saudi force and fly them out of the area. On 25 October, the Trucial Oman Levies quickly took the oasis and captured all fifteen of the Saudi contingent under the Saudi Emir Bin Nami, who was shot and lightly wounded when attempting to resist arrest and save a chest containing some 170,000 Rupees. The Saudi force was flown out on an RAF Valetta , which took them to Sharjah and then on to Saudi Arabia by sea. Most of
4225-459: Was intended to quickly displace the Saudi force and fly them out of the area. On 25 October, the Trucial Oman Levies quickly took the oasis and captured all fifteen of the Saudi contingent under the Saudi Emir Bin Nami, who was shot and lightly wounded when attempting to resist arrest and save a chest containing some 170,000 Rupees. The Saudi force was flown out on an RAF Valetta , which took them to Sharjah and then on to Saudi Arabia by sea. Most of
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