Hadhrami Bedouin Legion

The Hadhrami Bedouin Legion (Arabic: جيش البادية الحضرمي, romanized: Jaish Al-Badia Al-Hadhrami) was a joint army of the Hadhrami sultanates of South Arabia. It established on 1 January 1940 in Ghail bin Yamin in Hadramout, according to a proposal submitted by the political advisor to the Qu’aiti and Kathiri Sultanates, Harold Ingrams, to the British Colonies Ministry, which responded with an approval. A period when groups of people from all regions of the Badia joined, which included: the Qu'aiti sultanate, the Kathiri sultanate, the sultanate of al-Mahra and the sultanate of al-Wahidi.

The formation of this army followed the Jordanian pattern on which the formation of the "Jordanian Desert Forces" was based. The main task of the Hadhrami Bedouin Legion was to maintain security in the eastern protectorate, protect its borders, conduct contacts and form social ties and political relations with the Bedouin communities along the historical deserts of Hadramout, which were not until that time under the influence of any of the sultanates, and before that, its formation was for the purpose of achieving The spread of British influence throughout the historical lands of Hadramout, according to the British strategy “Forward”. The subordination of that army to the British Crown was direct, as was the regular Union Army (the Liwi Army) in the Western Aden Protectorate (the Southern Arab Union).