Sheep magazine Archive 2: issues 10-17

In the Gulf, meanwhile, it was disclosed that British military personnel
were sitting in the control rooms from which the Saudi Arabian air force
was guiding its bombers on to targets across Yemen. The British were
helping their Saudi counterparts key in the codes that would help them
select and attack their targets. The Saudis were not only flying Britishbuilt
aircraft and dropping British-made bombs, they were dropping
vast numbers of them. Over a three-month period in 2015, the value of
exports of British-made bombs and missiles had increased by 11,000%,
from £9m to £1bn.
54
This bombing campaign has been heavily criticised by rights groups
for causing thousands of civilian deaths. In parliament, the British
government has had little to say about this, other than to insist that it
“obeys the norms of humanitarian law”.
Once again, the government appeared to be quietly pulling the country
into a Middle Eastern conflict without any parliamentary oversight or
approval. And covert, undeclared and unreported warfare could be seen
to be not merely a possibility, but the reality of many of the UK’s military
operations.
This piece is an edited extract from Ian Cobain’s study of official secrecy
in the UK, The History Thieves (Granta, £20). To order a copy for £16, go
to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over
£10, online orders only. Phone orders min. p&p of £1.99.
SHEEP IN THE ROAD : NUMBER 15
Artwork: still unknown