Doha army’s aggression in Fasht Dibal

The Fasht Dibal incident was particularly interesting as it was the first direct military aggression in the modern history of the relations between the two countries.

On April 26, 1986 afternoon, workers employed by Dutch contracting company Ballast Nedam in the Fasht were shocked to see soldiers coming from four helicopters rush towards them, nervously shouting orders and firing in the air. The soldiers who came out of the Qatari choppers ordered the workers to queue up and remain silent.

At the same time, rapid-fire shots were directed at a company ship anchored near Dibal, hitting its hull, and when it tried to sail away, it was caught by a Qatari military boat and was taken back to Fasht. Helicopters also chased another boat with machine-gun fire.

“We thought that the troops that had attacked us were Iranian forces, but we were shocked to discover they were Qataris. One officer came to us to tell they were taking us to Qatar although it had nothing against them. He said they would take us later to Bahrain,” one engineer said in the book issued by Derasat.

The Qataris seized several Bahraini officials and 29 Ballast Nedam construction workers hired by the Dutch contracting company. They were released one month later, following protests by the Netherlands and mediation by several GCC countries.

Qatari troops evacuated Fasht Dibal on June 15 following an agreement between Bahrain and Qatar.

Derasat said the book “highlights the reasons and timeline of the events and how they affected today’s reality.”

“The book aims to expose Qatar’s behaviour, which proves with each passing day that it is contrary to the norms. It shows how the measures and policies embraced by Qatar are likely to ignite strife and undermine the security and stability of regional countries that are guided by a deep belief in a common future.”

Knowing the history is crucial to understanding the current conflict, Derasat said.

The idea of summoning history is necessary to understand the general trend of present and future events, Derasat said.