Page 569 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

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1953-1958) wrote to the Foreign Office, “The Council-General told the Sultan that we
(3)
would probably wish to advise that some public announcement should be made” .
The Sultan welcomed the idea and he made the following announcement that RAF
had dropped on his subjects:
“Some disturbance in a district of Oman has recently occurred instigated by trouble-
makers living in a certain foreign country. The Sultan has ordered a part of his armed
force to disperse men who have gathered so as to prevent a breach of the peace and to
restore public confidence. He has asked the royal Air force to distribute some leaflets on
his behalf to reassure the people living nearby .”
4
The leaflets were actually had no values because Saut-al-Arab (Cairo Radio Broad-
cast) were reporting that rebels were winning and the Sultan was a stooge of the British.
It was realized by British authorities that any such propagandas would increase hostile
backfire against the Sultan as well as the British.
Second step: Britain came to realize that the rebels were winning and that the Sul-
tan forces were no matches to the Liberation Army of Oman. It Britain did not respond
quickly and in a more forcefully way, then Oman would be lost forever and that would
jeopardize her interests there.
Accordingly, on July 18 1957 a new policy was issued by the British Foreign Sec-
th
retary as follows:
“Her Majesty’s Government have decided to assist the Sultan to restore control in
Central Oman, and the Chiefs of Staff have sent the necessary instructions in telegram
(5)
No. COSME 47” .
The instructions to the British Council-General in Muscat to inform the Sultan that
British government had decided to assist him to reestablish his authority meant to send
British troops including RAF. Besides that, the British Government agreed to supply
new equipments to the Sultan Forces so they can be used to fight the rebels though under
British supervision.

Third Step: TOS role
The Trucial Oman Scouts were established in 1951 by Britain to look after security
in the Trucial States (Now United Arab Emirates). They were mostly Arabs from the lo-
cal subjects, though, officered by British commanders in each squadron and indeed the
(6)
Commander of the whole TOS who were stationed at Sharjah .
The TOS were at hand as Arab forces that can be used by Britain to assist the Sultan, tak-
ing in mind the Egyptian and Saudi pressure and propaganda of British soldiers fighting
in Oman. The Commander of TOS was Colonel Carter, who had flown to Ibri close to
Nizwa the capital of the rebels in July 1957. Carter had established a tactical command
in the area. A few days latter two TOS squadrons came from Buraimi (80 miles North

3 . Ibid, P., 144.
4 . Ibid.
5 . From foreign Office to Bahrain. No. 1109. 18.7.1957. In Records of Oman, Ob. Cit. P., 228.
6 . For more information see, Michael Mann, (1994), The Trucial Oman Scouts: The Story of a Bedouin Force.
Norwich: Michael Russell.