# Mirbat Fort Sultanate of Oman



## Catweazle64

Here's a bit of history first:

The Battle of Mirbat took place on 19th 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. Their mission was to prevent this strategic land at the mouth of the Gulf from falling to PFLOAG.
The Officer in Command, Captain Mike Kealy observed the enemy advancing on the fort, but did not order his men to open fire because he thought it was the “Night Picket” coming back from night shift. This was 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. 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 SLR rifles, with one man firing the Browning -50 heavy machine gun, and a further two men on the ground 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.
There were also a small number of Omani Intelligence Service personnel in the BATT house, a small contingent of Pakistani soldiers and a member of British Military Intelligence seconded to the OIS who joined the team on the roof and fired on the Adoo with SLRs and other small arms. Initially some of the Pakistani soldiers were reluctant to join the defence of the fort because their roles with the BATT were largely administrative, but they obeyed orders from Kealy and the British Military Intelligence Corporal.
Knowing that the SLRs would not be of full use until the Adoo were closer than the weapon’s range of 800 metres, and lacking more heavy firepower, Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba made a run for the 25-pounder Artillery Piece which was positioned next to a smaller fort in which were stationed nine Omani Army Special Forces soldiers, who had not played a part in the battle. Talaiasi Labalaba managed to operate the weapon, which is a six-man job, himself and fire a round a minute at the approaching Adoo, directing their attention away from the BATT house. Kealy received a radio message from Labalaba reporting that a bullet had skimmed his face, and was badly injured, and was struggling to operate the gun by himself. At the BATT house Kealy asked for a volunteer to run to Labalaba’s aid. Fellow Fijian Trooper Sekonaia Takavesi volunteered to go.
Sekonaia Takavesi ran from the BATT house, with the remaining men providing covering fire, in an attempt to distract the Adoo. Takavesi ran the 800 metres through heavy gunfire, and reached the gun emplacement. He tried to give aid to his injured friend, while firing at the approaching Adoo with his rifle. Realising that they needed help, Takavesi tried to raise the small number of Omani soldiers inside the smaller fort, and Walid Khamis emerged. The remaining Omani soldiers in the fort engaged the enemy with small arms fire from firing positions on the roof and through the windows of the fort. As the two men made it back to the emplacement, the Omani soldier fell wounded after being shot in the stomach with a 7.62 mm bullet. 


Adoo continued to advance upon the BATT house, and artillery emplacement. At one point, the Adoo were so close that Takavesi and Labalaba fired the weapon at point blank range, aiming down the barrel. Lalalaba crawled across a small space to reach a 60 mm Infantry Mortar, but fell dead after being shot in the neck. Takavesi, also shot through the shoulder and grazed by a bullet to the back of his head continued to fire at the approaching Adoo with his rifle. The team signaller sent messages through to the main Forward Operating Base, to request air support and medical evacuation for the men in the gun emplacement.

Captain Kealy and Trooper Tobin made a run to the artillery piece. Upon reaching it, they dived in to avoid increasingly intense gunfire from the Adoo. Takavesi continued to fire on the attackers, propped up against sand bags after being shot through the stomach (the bullet narrowly missing his spine). The Adoo threw several hand grenades, but only one detonated, exploding behind the emplacement with no one injured. During the battle, Tobin attempted to reach over the body of Lalababa. In so doing, he was wounded when a bullet struck his face. By this time, BAC Strikemaster light-attack jets of the Royal Air Force of Oman had arrived, and began strafing the Adoo in the Jebel Ali. With a low cloud base making for low altitude attack runs, only machine-guns and light rockets were used. Reinforcements arrived from G Squadron of 22 SAS and, defeated, the PFLOAG withdrew at about 12:30. All wounded SAS soldiers were evacuated, and given medical treatment, Trooper Tobin eventually died in hospital not due to the multiple gunshot wounds but to an infection in his lung caused by his splintered tooth which he had swallowed when his bottom jaw was blown off by a AK-47 round.
The 25-pounder gun (now known as the “Mirbat gun”) used by Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba during the siege is now housed in the Firepower museum of the Royal Artillery at the former Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Though killed in action, his heroism was a key factor in halting the Adoo’s assault on the emplacement, allowing time for reinforcements to arrive. Labalaba was awarded a posthumous Mention in Dispatches for his actions in the Battle of Mirbat, though some of his comrades have since campaigned for him to be awarded the more prestigious Victoria Cross.

Picture of fort looking back across to the jebel from where the Adoo came



DSC_0124 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Gun pit



Mirbat Fort (1) by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Gun pit out towards sea and Wallis fort



Mirbat Fort (6) by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Gun pit and fort



Mirbat Fort (3) by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Entrance (note the poppy on the wall which I placed in remembrance)



Mirbat Fort (13) by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Old air con!



P1010570 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr



P1010572 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Looking at ground level toilets. There was never any roof here.



P1010573 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr




P1010574 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Another room on level 2



P1010575 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Old steps up to top tower



P1010579 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

From top tower towards sea and Wallis fort



P1010580 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Entrance doorway



P1010589 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr



P1010590 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

Stairwell to level 2



P1010591 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr

The 25lb gun in the pit


The actual gun now in Woolwich


Hope you enjoyed the history lesson. 
The fort, although abandoned, is in reasonable condition despite it being neglected since the war. The town is largely, as was, with a few more buildings nearby. I have found several discarded bits of old 303/762 ammunition cases, barbed wire and munition boxes that give a real sense of the battle that was. There is also a good true account book called Operation Storm by Roger Cole.


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## HughieD

Great to see someone else has been doing some Omani urbex.


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## tazong

Thats a fantastic write up - loved the pictures - dont know why but reminds me of call of duty 2


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## Catweazle64

HughieD said:


> Great to see someone else has been doing some Omani urbex.



Yes, there are some great places and having looked at some of your posts Hughie I see you've been where I have .

Salalah is full of abandoned places all very similar across the country with some interesting bits and pieces left behind in some.


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## SlimJim

Legendary stuff  Thanks for posting!


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## Rubex

Interesting write up and great photos


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## flyboys90

Cracking write up and pics,thanks for sharing.


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## jmcjnr

A significant piece of the regiment's history. Thank you for pictures of the fort today and for sharing the grim background of the place. Jim.


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## zanderoy

Rubex said:


> Interesting write up and great photos



I know one of the soldiers that was in that battle


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## Catweazle64

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royalexander said:


> I know one of the soldiers that was in that battle



A significant event that is rarely spoken of. There has been an effort to have it (the battle) recognised for its significance in the stabilising that particular region and assisting the new young Sultan to become the very well respected ruler he is today. Everywhere you travel he is revered and truly loved. Not in a dictatorship way either. The people really do respect him. For those that may not know the Omanis follow a little known school of Islam called Ibadi which is more open and liberal form than what the media portray of Islam in general through Sunni or Shia. A further effort to have certain members receive true recognition remains contentious. Either way, a remarkable place and having read Rogers book and visited the site many times I am in awe and Royalexander, if you do know one of those involved please let them know their efforts have not been forgotten. I spoke to a local elder guy in Mirbat who remembered the day with gratitude!.


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## Jon6D

Great photos and post, thank you


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## Bremners_Ghost

should have been a VC for sure, read somewhere mike kealy died of exposure on exercise in brecon beacons, had a bergen full of bricks instead of bad weather gear, such a waste of a heroes life


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## Catweazle64

Bremners_Ghost said:


> should have been a VC for sure, read somewhere mike kealy died of exposure on exercise in brecon beacons, had a bergen full of bricks instead of bad weather gear, such a waste of a heroes life



You are correct and Sir Ranulph Fiennes turned the real Mike Kealy into a fictional character in his book The Feather Men. In the novel, Mike Kealy is murdered by a group of contract killers called "The Clinic" in revenge for his role in Oman that had resulted in the killing of a sheik's son. Rather than succumbing to the extreme weather conditions while on an endurance march, as actually happened, the fictional character dies after going into diabetic shock following him being injecting with insulin by "The Clinic". In 2011 a film called Killer Elite also made a similar reference.


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## zanderoy

I forward your message to the soldier that was there on the 19th and he is most appreciative of it, Would it be OK if I pass the photos to him


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## Catweazle64

royalexander said:


> I forward your message to the soldier that was there on the 19th and he is most appreciative of it, Would it be OK if I pass the photos to him


Absolutely, please feel free.


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## zanderoy

We put two regimental wreaths and 4 wooden crosses on the fort, the next day we came back they were all ripped apart

The gun you see all spruced up is no longer in the Museum in London it has been moved on loan to where it deserves

If catweasel can get any photographs of the BATT house it would be appreciated also photographs from Jebel Ali to the fort

I have loads of photographs after the battle but unfortunately out of respect I wont post them

Where you see the gun pit, there were contacts going on at 3 feet away and grenades were being thrown by the dozen 

Thanks once more


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## Catweazle64

You're very welcome
A very fitting place for the gun to be!
That's a shame re the wreaths. The more mature locals I have met have all been very respectful. I have been back several times and in Nov 15 there was already a solitary poppy in the pit at the back facing the sea. I replaced a cross on the entrance wall to the fort (as it was just after remembrance Sunday) and re-arranged several that were blowing around in the gun pit at the front.
I have several more photos on my flickr account if you can access that. I've tried to locate the BATT house but the place is crumbling and with only 'that book' and internet to go on I'm not certain I have seen it so if you can assist I'd be more than happy to document it on my return in Nov this year.
If there is anything else please private message me through here of flickr
Best wishes


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## Dorche

*Mirbat Fort*

Thanks Catweazle for posting the great photos.

There are many varying accounts of the battle and who was present. Not able to say which is right, but this one gives you plenty choices
The Battle of Mirbat took place

The fort was apparently known as the Gendarmarie or DG Fort and was manned by about 20 Dhofar Gendarmarie (armed Police rather than special forces). They were initially trapped in their rooms in the fort by heavy mortar fire but did take part in the fighting later, some being killed. The fort doesn't really have a "firing step" to allow easy defended fire, which partly explains why they couldn't get into action without great risk to life. The large room (with fan) wasn't there in 1972 and is a later addition. The pillar (with poppy) supporting this behind the entrance probably wasn't there either as the DG had a Landrover inside the fort that was trashed by the mortar fire. Otherwise the fort is likely much the same. I think there may have been a radio shack on the top of the tower where the first news of the battle was broadcast from.

There are a couple of photos from c1972 online showing the fort as it was. I don't think there are any showing the 25pdr gun in its pit then. Some show it on the beach where I think there was a small sandbag emplacement to practice shoot out to sea. Afterwards there was a large gun pit dug by the Wali's fort, as I understand. This fort was also manned by Omani's during the battle and apparently many of the town residents also took part with their own rifles. The Omani crew of the 25pdr at the start of the battle were all quickly killed or injured.

I became interested in the details as I am trying to build a model of the DG Fort and gun pit. The photos are a great help as they show many details I hadn't seen in any other views.


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## Catweazle64

Dorche said:


> Thanks Catweazle for posting the great photos.
> 
> There are many varying accounts of the battle and who was present. Not able to say which is right, but this one gives you plenty choices
> The Battle of Mirbat took place
> 
> The fort was apparently known as the Gendarmarie or DG Fort and was manned by about 20 Dhofar Gendarmarie (armed Police rather than special forces). They were initially trapped in their rooms in the fort by heavy mortar fire but did take part in the fighting later, some being killed. The fort doesn't really have a "firing step" to allow easy defended fire, which partly explains why they couldn't get into action without great risk to life. The large room (with fan) wasn't there in 1972 and is a later addition. The pillar (with poppy) supporting this behind the entrance probably wasn't there either as the DG had a Landrover inside the fort that was trashed by the mortar fire. Otherwise the fort is likely much the same. I think there may have been a radio shack on the top of the tower where the first news of the battle was broadcast from.
> 
> There are a couple of photos from c1972 online showing the fort as it was. I don't think there are any showing the 25pdr gun in its pit then. Some show it on the beach where I think there was a small sandbag emplacement to practice shoot out to sea. Afterwards there was a large gun pit dug by the Wali's fort, as I understand. This fort was also manned by Omani's during the battle and apparently many of the town residents also took part with their own rifles. The Omani crew of the 25pdr at the start of the battle were all quickly killed or injured.
> 
> I became interested in the details as I am trying to build a model of the DG Fort and gun pit. The photos are a great help as they show many details I hadn't seen in any other views.




Dorche

There are several more of the fort on my flickr account. Feel free to have a look. Maybe some more there will help.


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## Dorche

cheers

I've tried Flickr, but can't seem to find the pics. I can see a couple of recent pages and can open the images, but not get to any more Mirbat images (tried logging in, searches of name and title). Not sure why this should be?


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## scottyg100

That is truly amazing that is one place I've always wanted to go. Can't tell you how jealous I am.

Great photos thanks for sharing


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## Catweazle64

Dorche said:


> cheers
> 
> I've tried Flickr, but can't seem to find the pics. I can see a couple of recent pages and can open the images, but not get to any more Mirbat images (tried logging in, searches of name and title). Not sure why this should be?




Em! Not sure either. The photo's are there and they are public. I will go back in and check the settings again.


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## 0xygen

Really interesting report - thank you for the extensive write up and excellent photos! It's always fascinating to find a more unusual report like this, where there is a lot of history and I had no idea about what had gone on here. I will be doing some serious reading up and this is fantastic. 

Thanks again for sharing!

0xygen


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## Sid Pass

Plenty more photos on the Facebook group called "The Dhofar Insurgency 2".


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## krela

Nice bit of history there, thanks for that Sid.


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## Sid Pass

krela said:


> Nice bit of history there, thanks for that Sid.


Thanks. I have 180 plus photos from Dhofar in 1974, and there are more than 1,500 photos in our Facebook group.


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