Battle of Mirbat

The Wali's Fort. The Battle centred on the DG Fort (not shown)

Date	19 July 1972
Location	Mirbat, South Oman 16°59′33″N 54°41′31″E / 16.9924934°N 54.6919477°E / 16.9924934; 54.6919477Coordinates: 16°59′33″N 54°41′31″E / 16.9924934°N 54.6919477°E / 16.9924934; 54.6919477
Result	British/Oman sultanate victory

Belligerents

British SAS

Royal Air Force of Oman

Adoo guerillas

Commanders and leaders

Mike Kealy

Strength

9 SAS soldiers
25 men from Omani Gendarmerie
30 Balochi Askari
1 local firqat

3 BAC Strikemaster light attack jets

200–300 Adoo guerrillas

Casualties and losses

3 killed, 1 wounded

80+ killed

British SAS

9 SAS soldiers
25 men from Omani Gendarmerie
30 Balochi Askari
1 local firqat

The Battle of Mirbat took place on 19 July 1972 during the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, which was supported by Communist guerrillas from South Yemen. Britain assisted the Omani government by sending elements of its Special Air Service both to train soldiers and compete against the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) guerrillas for the "hearts and minds" of the Omani people.

At 6 am on 19 July 1972 the PFLOAG attacked the British Army Training Team (BATT) house, which housed the nine SAS soldiers, based just outside the Port of Mirbat. The PFLOAG (locally known as the Adoo) attacked the SAS BATT house knowing that to be able to reach the Port of Mirbat they would first have to defeat the SAS guarding the approach to the town in Jebel Ali, a series of small desert slopes leading to the Port.

The Officer in Command, Captain Mike Kealy observed the waves advancing on the fort, but at first did not order his men to open fire because he thought it was the "Night Picket" coming back from night shift. The Night Picket were a loyal group of the Omani Army positioned on the slopes to warn the BATT house of Adoo troop movements. Realising that the Night Picket must have been killed, due to them not warning the SAS of the assault, Mike Kealy ordered his men to open fire. Mike Kealy along with other members of the team took up positions behind the sand-bag parapet on the roof of the BATT house, firing at the Adoo with L1A1 SLR battle rifles, with one man firing the Browning M2HB heavy machine gun, with a further two men on ground level operating and firing an infantry mortar surrounded by sand-bags. The Adoo were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, and were mortar bombing the area around the BATT house. Kealy ordered the signaller to establish communications with SAS Headquarters at Um al Quarif, to request reinforcements.

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Wikipedia