ABSTRACT
Political instability within Southern Arabia contributed to frequent international armed conflict from the 1940s through the 1970s. The United Kingdom intervened within her Aden Protectorates of South Arabia during the 1947-1950 disturbances. Saudi Arabia, Oman and the trucial state of Abu Dhabi disputed control of small villages representing the Buraimi Oasis, especially after oil exploration began in the region. Ghalib's younger brother, Talib, fled to Saudi Arabia, organized an irregular military force, and invaded Oman in early 1957. The National Liberation Front established the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen upon British withdrawal from South Arabia (South Yemen) at the end of the Yemen-Aden War in 1967. Abd al-Fattah Ismail's South Yemeni government supported armed resistance to the Salih regime through the left-leaning National Democratic Front. Saudi Arabia and South Yemen battled at Al-Wadiah in 1969 in dispute over their border. In March 1973, following incidents in the border area, South Yemeni aircraft strafed the Saudi post at Al-Wadiah.
