ملف ١٩١٧/٧٥٦ الجزءان ٢-٣ "النشرات العربية أرقام ٦٦-١١٤" [ظ‎‎٣‎٣‎٦] (٨٣٤/٦٨١)

— 84
he said, “ I will remain in mine.” But although we looked
upon Abdullah’s advance as unwise and foolhardy, and advised
him not to start, we do not, and cannot, deny his right to occupy
Khurma.
The next military incidents were the raid by Ikhwan on
loyalists at Degheibjah early in May, 1919, and the two attacks
by Abdullah s patrols on Ikhwan parties, • described on page 61
of our last number. Of these affairs we have not yet received
reports from Ibn Sand’s side.
On May 21, Abdullah reported that, after two and a half
hours’ fighting, he occupied Tarabah, and that, after consolidating
it, he would advance to Khurma (see page 62 of last number). In
that report Abdullah stands self-condemned. He had obviously
scrapped his defensive policy, and doubtless decided to take
,ae Ikhwan raid on Degheibjah as his excuse for an attack on
larabah.
Abdullah also reported the arrival in person of Ibn Saud
at feakkhah (eighty miles N.E. of Khurma).
We may be sure that if Ibn Saud does not deny that the
khwan raid on Degheibjah ever took place, he certainly will
assert that it was not done at his instigation and was, therefore
an ordinary tribal raid for which he cannot be held responsible’
in, rf 1 A May 25 ' 26 ’ the IkIwan under Emir
hhalid attacked Abdullah at Tarabah, driving him out and
■Z°lu n f t0 SeVera ' aCC0 T ts ’ destr °yed his regular force, captur-
wi>h hn SU11S , t maCl T gUnS ' Emir Abdullah got away
AMulhb’ g a men ° nl y’ and retired *0 Okheidir
force at Kelatw T SllCTlf Sharaf, had a small
which tteblk 1 * (a I 0U n T enty - five milesE - b y N - of Tarabah),
Shlraf fterw'“l 1 d f daWn ° n May 26 ’ but were re P ulsed -
Sharat afterwards decided to join Abdullah at Okheidir The
rsrr txzt probably to ^
Khurma th to th Ta?f eStrU ° ti0n 4 AbduIIah ’ s a ™y the road from
Jeddah lav it t l *° the enemy ' Mecca a " d even
Emir Ali could n n , leuy tbe t ana tical Ikhwan. From Medina
value am u i' y S6nd reinforcements of the same fighting
value as Abdullah s original force. ® ®
Results.
Sherifian forced Ivi con ^^ ct the Ikhwan the *
arnivhasf dfin d T 6n badly defea ted. Abdullah’s regular
witT I S
of war service h i rsTi, 61 ,*''' 0 & half years ’ ex P CT ience
service it has failed when put to its first crucial test,