“The UAE stood with the Yemenis to draw a line in the sand”

Military historian Dr Michael Knights latest book The unknown story of the Arabian elite forces at war: 25 days to Aden tells the true story of how in just one week in 2015, the Gulf States pulled together a ten-nation coalition and launched the biggest military operation they had ever unilaterally undertaken.

The story of the dramatic campaign by Arab special forces and Yemeni tribesmen to liberate the iconic port-city of Aden from Al Houthis has not been told with such clarity and erudition before.

While researching the highly readable book, Knights has spoken to a cross-section of key players, including UAE military personnel and explored their relationship with Yemenis.

Gulf News reached out to the author to understand why the UAE intervened in Aden and what makes the UAE military different and special. Excerpts from the exclusive interview with Michael Knights.

■ What was it like to write the first military history of the UAE at war?

Writing the story of the UAE and Yemeni victory at Aden was a real honour for me. When the battle was happening in 2015, I could tell that a very professional force had entered Aden to fight the Houthis but, at that point, it was still a mystery who these Arab elite forces were. To later meet these men and women and to interview them was a great experience.

■ What do you think was the primary motivating factor for the Arabian forces to go into Yemen?

I know from interviewing some of the most senior officials in the UAE that the primary reason for the intervention in Yemen was to prevent the Iran-backed Houthis from overrunning the whole country and establishing a southern Hezbollah on the Gulf of Oman.

But what I find fascinating is that alongside this war against a tough Iran-backed opponent, the UAE also kept up its counter-terrorism war against Al Qaida in Yemen at the same time. That showed real dedication to the counter-terrorism fight.

■ Talk to us a little bit about how the UAE drew a line in the sand?

The UAE leadership supported Yemen’s call at the UN and the Arab League for military support, and while the Saudi Arabian military could help in the north of Yemen, the UAE used its special ties to Southern Yemen to defend Aden.

The UAE is a maritime power with excellent long-range power projection capabilities and with good relations in the Horn of Africa, so it was a natural fit to support the southern Yemenis, who were far away from help.

The leadership in the Emirates recognised that Iran’s partners, the Houthis, must not be allowed to take Aden, and nor must al Qaeda be allowed to exploit the chaos of war in Southern Yemen. So the UAE stood with the Yemenis to draw a line in the sand and prevent either a Houthi or Al Qaida takeover.

Your book has been hailed as a reference for a future of warfare driven by emergent powers. Can you elaborate on it?

Everyone is looking at Ukraine for a glimpse at future warfare. I would argue that huge wars involving the world’s largest powers will not be the typical kind of warfare practised in most future conflicts.

Most future wars will involve mid-sized powers like the UAE, who are often using technologies and tactics that are just as advanced as those used by the US, China or Russia.

In Yemen, we saw the UAE bringing the same skills and equipment as a Nato military but with more cultural and linguistic skills than a Nato military operating in the Middle East.

■ What, in your view, are the prospects for a solution to the Yemen crisis?

Unless something major changes, the Houthis will control northern Yemen in the same manner that Hezbollah controls southern Lebanon. They will indoctrinate the new generation, who cannot even remember a time before the Houthis. That will give them huge armies of conscripts who are willing to die and who have Iran’s backing.

The rest of Yemen will need strong support from the outside world to hold back the Houthis and keep the shipping lanes open for the world to use.