Secret Operations of British Special Services in Yemen (1962-1964)

This article is dedicated to the use of secret operations carried out either by British special services themselves or under their control in Yemen and neighboring areas during the early period of the civil war in Yemen in 1962-1964. These operations included the assassination of Egyptian officers and advisors working in the Yemeni Republic, the supply of weapons and ammunition to border tribes loyal to the British Crown, road mining in Yemeni territory, sabotage of critical military and civilian infrastructure, bombing of Yemeni territory, incitement of tribal unrest in the Yemen Arab Republic, and the preparation and dissemination of compromising material against republican leaders. A significant portion of these operations were carried out by Britain not directly, but through the use of mercenary groups, whose actions even prompted the English themselves to characterize them as bandits. The main goal of such operations was to maintain a stalemate situation in the civil war in Yemen, which was beneficial to Britain, seeking to preserve its influence in South Arabia, where the British colony of Aden was located.