Northern Frontier Regiment (Oman)

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Northern Frontier Regiment
Royal Army of Oman Seal.svg
Royal Army of Oman
ActiveFrom 1957 to date
CountryFlag of Oman.svg  Oman
Type Infantry
Role Motorised infantry
SizeOne battalion
Garrison/HQMalik bin Faham Camp, Ibri, Oman
EngagementsJebel Akhdar & Dhofar Wars
Decorations General Service Medal (Oman).png
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Lt Col Colin Maxwell OM [1]

The Northern Frontier Regiment (NFR) was formed in March 1957 and was one of the first two properly constituted infantry regiments that Sultan Said bin Taimur of Oman formed. [2] [3] The regiment's crest is two crossed drawn traditional Khanjar daggers pointing downwards, with scrolls carrying the regimental title in Arabic i.e. Kateeba al Hudood al Shamleeah. [4] [5] Members of the Regiment who served in Dhofar are entitled to wear the General Service Medal Oman, its ribbon design illustrated on the right (see Decorations). [6]

Contents

Unit history

The NFR and Muscat Regiment are the two most senior infantry regiments in RAO; and were formed from earlier less formal units of doubtful capabilities and were an attempt by British advisors to the Sultan to develop a more credible armed forces to respond to a number of persistent threats from some interior tribes and their financial sponsors in Saudi Arabia. These tensions came to a head in the Jebel Akhdar War in which the regiment played a particularly active part. Once the rebels were driven from the mountain NFR established a base at one of the main villages (Saiq). [7] [8]

The Sultanate of Oman (with Dhofar highlighted) Dhofar in Oman 2016.svg
The Sultanate of Oman (with Dhofar highlighted)
A Dhofar Brigade defensive position in 1972 Oman. Dhofar 1972 (8620570923).jpg
A Dhofar Brigade defensive position in 1972
A Short SC.7 Skyvan resupplying Dhofar Brigade units in 1971 Oman. Dhofar 1971 (8610521959).jpg
A Short SC.7 Skyvan resupplying Dhofar Brigade units in 1971
The Northern Frontier Regiment on parade at the National Stadium in Ruwi in 1981 Oman 1981 (3068033835).jpg
The Northern Frontier Regiment on parade at the National Stadium in Ruwi in 1981

The unit would also see service in the Dhofar War along with other regiments of the Sultan's small army, which mostly supporting the Dhofar Brigade's operations in the 1970s fighting Communist insurgents in the south of the country. [9] [10] The NFR were one of the first regiments from Northern Oman to be deployed south to Dhofar to suppress a rebellion in 1964. [11] [12] During the Dhofar Campaign NFR lost many killed and wounded including one of the first British military advisors killed on operations - Captain Alan William Woodman (formerly of the Royal Marines) killed on 13 March 1966. [13]

The NFR remains on the Order of Battle of the Royal Army of Oman and is based in Ibri. [14] [15]

Commanding officers

NFR's Commanding officers have included:

UK personnel Killed in Action whilst Serving with the Regiment

The following UK seconded and contract personnel were killed in action (KIA) whilst serving with NFR: [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Oman</span> Aspect of history

Oman is the site of pre-historic human habitation, stretching back over 100,000 years. The region was impacted by powerful invaders, including other Arab tribes, Portugal and Britain. Oman once possessed the island of Zanzibar on the east coast of Africa as a colony. Oman also held Gwadar as a colony for many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jebel Akhdar (Oman)</span> Peak in the Hajar Mountains range

The Jebel Akhdar or Al Jabal Al Akhdar is one of the Hajar Mountains in Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate of Oman. It rises to a height of 2,980 m (9,780 ft) and encompasses the Saiq Plateau at 2,000 m above sea level. Jebel Akhdar is famous for its labyrinth of wadis and terraced orchards, where pomegranates, apricots and roses grow in abundance due to its mild Mediterranean climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces</span> Combined armed forces of Oman

The Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces are the Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman, Sultan's Special Force and other defense forces of the Sultanate of Oman. Since their formal establishment in the early 1950s, with British assistance SAF has twice overcome insurgencies which have threatened the integrity or social structure of the state, and more recently have contributed contingents or facilities to coalitions formed to protect Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghalib al-Hinai</span> Imam of Oman

Ghalib bin Ali bin Hilal al-Hinai was the last elected imam (ruler) of the Imamate of Oman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscat and Oman</span> Former Arabian state from 1856 to 1970

The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, also known briefly as the State of Muscat and Oman during the rule of Taimur bin Feisal, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day Sultanate of Oman and parts of present-day United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, in the second half of the 19th century and 20th century. Ruled by the Busaid dynasty, it was established as a result of the partition of the Omani Empire upon the death of its last ruler Said bin Sultan. The Sultanate transitioned into a new form of government after the palace coup of 23 July 1970 in which the sultan Said bin Taimur was immediately deposed in favor of his son Qaboos bin Said.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhofar Liberation Front</span> Political party in Oman

Dhofar Liberation Front (DLF) was a communist front that was established to create a separatist state in Dhofar, the southern province of Oman, which shared a border with South Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Army of Oman</span> Land warfare branch of Omans military

The Royal Army of Oman is the ground forces component of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces. It was founded in 1907 as the Muscat Garrison. It has a current strength of 35,000 personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhofar War</span> Civil war in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman

The Dhofar War took place from 1963 to 1976 in the province of Dhofar against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The war began with the formation of the Dhofar Liberation Front, a Marxist group which aimed to create an independent state in Dhofar, free from the rule of the Omani Sultan Said bin Taimur. The rebels also held the broader goals of Arab nationalism which included ending British influence in the Persian Gulf region. Omani and British goals, on the other hand, were to safeguard Oman from communism and halt the spread of communist ideology as part of the broader Cold War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Oman-related articles</span>

This page list topics related to Oman.

Internal Security Service is the national security agency of the Sultanate of Oman. The agency focuses solely upon domestic security while foreign intelligence operations is specifically handled by the Palace Office, which controls external security and coordinates all intelligence and security policies.

Major General Anthony (Tony) Showan Jeapes, is a former British Army officer who commanded the 22 Special Air Service Regiment during the Dhofar Rebellion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jebel Akhdar War</span> 1950s rebellion in Oman

The Jebel Akhdar War, also known as the Jebel Akhdar Rebellion or the Oman War, broke out in 1954 and again in 1957 in Oman, as an effort by the local Omanis in the interior of Oman led by their elected Imam, Ghalib al-Hinai, to protect the Imamate of Oman from the occupation plans of Said bin Taimur sultan of Muscat and Oman, backed by the British government, who were eager to gain access to the oil wells in the interior lands of Oman. Sultan Said received direct financing to raise an armed force to occupy the Imamate of Oman from Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC), a consortium of oil companies that was majorly owned by what is known today as Royal Dutch Shell, Total, ExxonMobil and British Petroleum (BP); the latter was majority-owned by the British government.

Major General John David Carew Graham, was a British Army officer who was instrumental in the installation of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman in the 1970 Omani coup d'état.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Simba</span>

Operation Simba, and the subsequent fighting around high ground near Sarfait, was the longest running conflict of the Dhofar Rebellion. On 17 April 1972, a battalion of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces (SAF) landed by helicopter to establish a position on a dominating ridge at Sarfait, near the border with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY). The aim was to interdict the supply lines used by the guerillas of the PFLOAG from the PDRY to the interior of Dhofar, which ran along the narrow coastal plain beneath the foot of the escarpment at the southern end of the ridge.

Major General Kenneth Perkins was a British Army officer who became commander of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces taking over from General Sir Timothy Creasey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultan's Special Force</span> Military unit

The Sultan's Special Force (SSF) — Arabic: قوات السلطان الخاصة, transliterated:Qawat al-Sultaniya al-Khasah is a separate force branch within the Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF) and although equipped to carry out land defense operations, it is not part of the Royal Army of Oman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscat Regiment (Oman)</span> Military unit

The Muscat Regiment (MR) was formed in March 1957 and was one of the first two properly constituted infantry regiments that Sultan Said bin Taimur of Oman formed. The regiment's crest is two crossed Omani swords overlain vertically with a single traditional Khanjar dagger sheathed, with scrolls carrying the regimental title in Arabic. The regiment's headdress is a distinctive scarlet Tam o' Shanter style cap, rather than a beret. Members of the Regiment who served in Dhofar are entitled to wear the General Service Medal Oman, its ribbon design illustrated on the right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 Omani coup d'état</span> 1970 overthrow of the Sultan of Oman, Said bin Taimur, by his son, Qaboos bin Said

The 1970 Omani coup d'état was the overthrow of Sultan of Oman Said bin Taimur by his son Qaboos bin Said in Oman on 23 July 1970. Occurring in the midst of the Dhofar War, the palace coup was executed with the support of the British and saw Sultan Said bin Taimur deposed and sent into exile to the United Kingdom. The coup was a pivotal moment in modern Omani history as Qaboos swiftly set in motion numerous wide-ranging modernization reforms in the kingdom, transforming Oman from an underdeveloped backwater into a country on par with many Western nations in terms of political stability and economic development. At the time of his death in January 2020, Sultan Qaboos was the longest-serving ruler in the Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jebel Regiment (Oman)</span> Military unit

The Jebel Regiment (JR) was formed in October 1970 and was one of the extra two properly constituted infantry regiments that Sultan Qaboos of Oman formed to augment the Omani Army in its operations in Dhofar. The regiment's crest is two crossed traditionally embossed Martini–Henry Rifles overlain vertically with a single traditional Khanjar dagger sheathed, with scrolls carrying the regimental title in Arabic. Members of the Regiment who served in Dhofar are entitled to wear the General Service Medal Oman, its ribbon design illustrated on the right.

Brigadier Jack Spencer Fletcher, was a British Army officer who played a key part in the Dhofar Rebellion.

References

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  6. "Sultan of Muscat's Armed Forces General Service Medal with clasp for Dhofar". www.iwm.org.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
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  10. Wooddisse, J (2004). Recollections of the Oman : a few memories of eighteen months with A Company, Northern Frontier Regiment, Sultan's Armed Forces 1964-1965. London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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