The insurgency in Dhofar was caused by Said bin Taymur’s authoritarian rule which undermined his legitimacy. Emphasis on military operations and the failure to redress grievances played into the hands of the insurgents. Political considerations made it impossible for the British to deploy forces to fight the insurgency in Dhofar on the Sultan’s behalf. The British withdrawal from Aden in November 1967 had a significant impact on the war because the insurgents were able to use the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) as a base. Although the fighting in Dhofar was on a small scale during the 1960s, it was a notable example of how not to contest an insurgent movement.