§ Sir A. Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can make any statement as to the reasons for, and the results of, recent British military action against tribal units in the hinterland of Aden?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreIt is part of the settled policy of His Majesty's Government in the Aden Protectorate that intertribal quarrels should be checked and the trade routes kept open and protected from violence and interference. To secure these objects it has been found necessary from time to time in past years to take air action against the recalcitrant tribesmen. Such measures are undertaken only in the last resort when other means of pacification have failed. Adequate warning is always given to the inhabitants so that they may remove themselves from the area affected, and as a result the number of casualties has been very small. I am convinced that in all the circumstances this is the most870W effective and humane method of dealing with the situation. I may add that air action, when taken, is carried out in collaboration with, and on occasion at the request of, the local rulers whose authority it is our policy to support.
I am aware that there have been rumours of unrest in the Protectorate and of the despatch of considerable bodies of Imperial troops to the area. These rumours are wholly without foundation. On the contrary, as a result of the measures taken, there has been a marked and steady improvement in the general tranquillity, especially in the outlying parts of the Protectorate where intertribal raids and quarrels have been rife in the past.