The World - News from Jan. 2, 1989

Thirty-year-old documents made public by a London newspaper revealed that the government sent commandos to Oman to fight rebels threatening British interests in the Persian Gulf state. In 1958, rebels were fighting the Sultan of Oman and endangering Britain’s interests in an air base at Masirah and in oil deposits believed to exist in the kingdom, the London Observer said. The use of regular British troops to crush a rebellion was considered certain to attract international criticism, but a 100-man commando unit was sent with the cover story that it was to be used to train the sultan’s army.