HC Deb 27 July 1955 vol 544 cc127-8W
Sir R. Robinson

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what occasions bombing has been used as a collective punishment in the Western Aden Protectorate between 1945 and 1951.

Mr. Hopkinson

Numerous bombing attacks were carried out in the Western Aden Protectorate during this period in operational sorties on rebellious tribesmen or intruders from outside the Protectorate, but, for purposes of comparison with the bombing of five small groups of dwellings in the Lower Aulaqi Sultanate on 20th May, I will confine my reply strictly to bombing of dwellings carried out as a collective punishment, and will answer year by year:

  • 1945, No such incidents.
  • 1946, No such incidents.
  • 1947, Three incidents:

  1. (1) Bombing of village of A1 Husen, carried out in direct reprisal for the murder of a Political Officer.
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  2. (2) Destruction of a fort of the Bal Harith tribe in Beihan, carried out to enforce submission of the Bal Harith section to their Ruler.
  3. (3) Operations against the Quteibi tribe involving three attacks on Thameir, two on Danib and one on Jimil. These were made for the specific purpose of enforcing restitution of looted property (comparable to the enforcement of a collective fine).

1948. Four incidents, some involving several strikes:

  1. (1) Continuation of bombing of Bal Harith tribe, for the same purpose as in (2) in 1947 above.
  2. (2) Bombing of three forts of the Ahl Yahya sub-tribe in the Haushabi country. This was carried out to put down a rebellion, and in particular because of the failure of the sub-tribe to give guarantees of good behaviour while the dispute was being investigated.
  3. (3) Destruction of the two Saqladi forts, carried out in order to bring the tribe into submission to Government.
  4. (4) Bombing of houses of the Mansuri tribe, made to enforce their submission, and also to compel the restoration of looted property.

1949 to 1951. No such incidents.

In a supplementary reply on 20th July my right hon. Friend mentioned an incident in 1950. This was, in fact, an operational strike on intruders into the Protectorate and not an attack on buildings.