From 10/20 WSJ - buried deep on page A8.
On August 11, 2017 a UAE military helicopter filled with soldiers attacking al Qaeda in Yemen crashed killing 8 and seriously wounding 7 including a member of the UAE royal family. After "diplomatic contacts," US Special Forces went in and rescued the group including the member of the Royal Family.
This built a lot of good will between the UAE and the USA, which helped get the peace deal approved. Maj. General Miguel Correa was at the center of the mission, and had a large behind the scenes role in the peace negotiations.
This was the first I've heard of it. There was also a picture of (Ret. Correa) and the Prince in a wheel chair.
It is all logical, but I have no idea how important this mission was to getting the peace deal the Trump Administration brokered between the UAE & Israel.
Seems to have paid off big time, although I personally am not really a fan of US troops being used to save royals, even if the UAE was engaged against Al-Qaeda. I suppose the 'enemy of my enemy' is my friend.
Some are saying the potential lifting of the label on Sudan as a, 'Terrorist' nation by the Trump Administration is a precursor to an Israel/Sudan Peace deal and formal recognition. Would be nice. :peace:
....well, that leads into the question of what the ground situation is for Sudan and terror/pirate ops, right?
But maybe the point is that if the government makes a bid for legitimacy over-against the criminal and terror factors, then they can expect big-gun help in policing out the problems.
For some reason I want to play ARVN again in Fire on the Lake... ::)