Battle of Mirbat
| Battle of Mirbat | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Dhofar Rebellion | |||||||
The Wali's Fort. The Battle centred on the Dhofar Gendarmerie fort (not shown) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
United Kingdom Oman | PFLOAG | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Mike Kealy | Salim Musalim † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
10 British soldiers (9 SAS, 1 Int Corps) 25 men from Omani Gendarmerie 30 Balochi Askari 60 soldiers of a local firqat 12 BAC Strikemaster light attack jets 21 SAS reinforcements 3 helicopters | 200–300 guerrillas | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
2 SAS soldiers killed 2 Gendarmes killed 1 jet damaged |
80 killed 12 captured | ||||||
The Battle of Mirbat (19 July 1972) was an attack by Communist guerrillas targeting an Omani government position during the Dhofar Rebellion in the town of Mirbat, Oman. During the Dhofar Rebellion, Britain assisted the Omani government, an absolute monarchy, by sending elements of its Special Air Service (SAS) both to train soldiers and fight against the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) guerrillas, also known as the Adoo. The assault was defeated after the arrival of several BAC Strikemaster attack aircraft belonging to Oman, firing rockets at PFLOAG's positions which forced the guerrillas to retreat. After the battle the British and their allies recovered the corpses of the attacking guerrillas, some were put on public display as a tool of terror, to act as warnings to potential left-wing rebels who were tempted to join the rebellion against Oman's government.