An American book documenting the military history of the "Emirati elite" in the Yemen war
English - Sunday 08 January 2023 الساعة 04:44 pm
NewsYemen, Private:
This month, the American magazine Profile Books publishes the book "25 Days to Aden": "The Untold Story of the Emirati Elite Forces in the War in Yemen" in both Arabic and English.
The book was written by prominent American expert Michael Knights, a fellow in the "Lafer" fellowship program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who specializes in military and security affairs for Iraq, Iran, Yemen and the Gulf states.
The story "25 Days to Aden" refers to Emirati men who fought the battle alongside their Yemeni partners, and the book is dedicated to five Emirati soldiers killed in the battle.
While the American newspaper "The National" published an article by the author (Michael Knights - in which he highlighted his mission to write the book that narrates the conflict and the climax of the liberation of the port city of Aden in July 2015, using the words of the Emirati soldiers, sailors and pilots themselves.
Knights began the article by asking: "What was it like to write the first military history of the United Arab Emirates in the war, using the words of the soldiers, sailors and airmen themselves?"
He adds, "This was the task I set for myself in writing the upcoming book: '25 Days to Aden', which narrates the conflict and the climax of the liberation of the port city of Aden before the onset of Eid al-Fitr in July 2015."
This was the first battle of the Yemen war, which began when the Yemeni government requested international support from the United Nations Security Council and the Arab League. The Gulf Arabs drew a line in the sand to prevent the Iran-backed Houthis from dominating the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula and seizing the passes. The main navigation linking the eastern and western hemispheres through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
The American writer said: "In the early days of the war, the UAE escalated the pace of its assistance to the Yemeni resistance fighters in controlling the southern port city of Aden, which is one of the most important strategic locations on the Indian Ocean and contained the world's busiest ports only decades ago. And if the Houthis managed to control On Aden, not only will they control the second largest city in Yemen (in addition to their control of the capital, Sana'a), but they will also lie on the side of the most important maritime choke point that controls 20 percent of the world's oil traffic.
And he added, "As one of the Emirati special forces soldiers told me, the Yemen war was the story of elite Arab forces fighting a ghost from the mountain, next to the most important sea lane in the world."
He noted that “the military historian bears a great responsibility because he preserves the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for their country and for their fellow warriors,” adding at the same time, “History writing must be as completely accurate as possible because it is our gift to future generations. This does not only mean Celebrating victories and achievements that we are proud of, but also facing difficult facts and sad moments, and learning lessons that can help the country and its soldiers, including sailors and airmen, face new challenges.
He stated that as a result, it took me more than five years to meticulously research, write and fact-check my book 25 Days to Aden.
To understand the battle more accurately - says Michael Knights - one must talk to many participants to work on events that were not recorded in the official records. And one must look through the records to find the things that humans forget. Equally important, the historian also needs to do the closest mapping study of the terrain and then walk the ground and that is exactly what I did in Aden.
He continues, “Only by getting down on the ground, can one truly appreciate the topography and the extremely complex geography of the oldest parts of Aden – literally a deep volcanic crater surrounded by towering thousand-foot cliffs. And only by moving back and forth along the exposed embankment that formed the approach to The main terrain in Aden - the international airport - you can appreciate how important the UAE armored vehicles were in overcoming the Houthi firepower that defended the airport."
He said that the liberation of Aden began with the support of the resistance in the sea. I interviewed these Yemeni fighters and Emirati special forces who had been secretly inserted into the defensive line in Aden.
He stressed that the Battle of Aden is the story of this partnership between the Yemenis and the Emiratis, who first held out, then reinforced the defensive area with Emirati cavalry guards and ground forces artillery, and finally launched a surprise attack on the Houthis and ended up expelled outside Aden.
He explained, "The UAE Navy, Air Force and Air Defense worked around the clock and under horrific conditions to keep supply lines open and continue the accurate and heavy bombardment of the enemy. It was a real team effort: the Emirati forces and the entire resistance are moving towards one goal - helping the Yemenis liberate Aden."
It is unusual to allow outsiders to speak to Emirati military personnel about their battles, but in researching and writing this book, I spent hundreds of hours interviewing and living side by side with Emirati military personnel. In many cases, I collected their stories while they were deployed on the frontlines in Yemen. "During my visits to the front lines, they kindly used their evenings and free time to retell the story of Aden from their point of view. Other times, I visited them with their families in the Emirates."
He went on, “When a foreigner spends a lot of time talking to Emiratis about a sensitive topic like war, the experience is very informative about the nation’s mindset towards conflict. The UAE military men and women do not take delight in the destructive acts of war. Like all warriors, they are amazed at the accuracy and the power of modern weapons, but I found a special level of seriousness and maturity in the Emirati forces who really hated the death and misery of war.However, the Emirati forces were undoubtedly good at modern warfare as well: trained in real conflicts alongside the best Western armies, and the forces The Emiratis also enjoy a better understanding of the local culture in Yemen and excellent relations with the Yemeni resistance forces.
The American military expert noted that the story of "25 Days to Aden" belongs to Emirati men who fought the battle alongside their Yemeni partners. The book is dedicated to five Emirati soldiers killed in the battle, adding: "It is fitting that the last word in this article goes to one of the exceptional young men who fought (and survived) in the Battle of Aden."
When I interviewed him, he was reliving his war experience as a 27-year-old Emirati soldier with good training who had fought the real battle for the first time. He told me: “After this real war, my mentality completely changed (..) I grew up in my country with good living standards and good education and then suddenly I was in a war zone far from my friends, family and children.”
