'Administration Reports 1920-1924' [‎49r] (102/412)

persian gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. political residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , 1920.
79
the effect that, after the return of Ibn Tawalah and Da ij from the south,
Shakh Salim had sent out three raiding parties against Najd one of which
had actually reached Bumah, one and a half days from Eiyadh, and captured
a large number of camels.
The Mutair under Faisal-ad-Dawish had hotly pursued the raiders as
far as Jahrah where the fight had taken place. Although Shaikh Salim had had
the advantage in numbers and position, they had been victorious and Shaikh
Snlim had taken refuge in the fort and begged for peace. Dawish had replied that
he would refer to Ibn Sa'ud, and had moved to Subaihiyah to await his orders
Thev had lost a hundred killed and two hundred wounded. The Kuwait
casualties were not known, but had been very heavy Ibn Sa ud had all along
feared that the concentration of Ibn Tawalah s Shammar at <1 ah rah under
Shaikh Salim's war-Bag had meant trouble, and he had reported his fears.
He had sent his cousin Abdul, Aziz at-Turki to keep his tribes in hand. Alth
ough he attached little importance to the whole affair, he hastened to inform
His Majesty's Government.
It is strange, to sav the least of it, that Ibn Sa'ud had heard nothing of a
raid bv Shaikh Salim's men one and a half day from Riyadh, until informed by
Dawish from Subaihiyah. It is also strange that Jufran al-fabm, Dawish s
envov in Kuwait, did not mention these raids to the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kuwait,
but maintained instead that the Ikhwan were operating against Shaikh balim
hv Ibn Sa'ud's direct orders. For the above two reasons, and also from tiie
fact that his statement of the Ikhwan casualties at Jahrah is definitely known
to he untrue, one is inclined to doubt that there is any truth at all in Dawish s
story of these raids.
'Abdul 'Aziz at-Turki, mentioned in Ibn Sa'uJ's letter, or Abu Dha'ar
as he is known in Kuwait, has been mentioned in reports received in Kuwait
as bein- in Sudah, and trying to incite the Ajman and other tribes to make
common cause with the Ikhwan against Kuwait, but the reliability of these
reports is not above suspicion.
Towards the end of November the village of Jahrah, which bad been
abandoned since the battle, was reoccupied by Shaikh Salim, and the making
of fortifications there was taken in hand. He was told that although there
was of course, no objection to his reoccupying the village, the High
Commissioner trusted that he would not again hoist his war flag or maintain
an abnormal aarrison there, to which he replied that he had no intention at
present of maintaining a large force there under his war-flag, hut merely a
small garrison for the protection of the village itself.
In a letter dated 12th November Ibn Sa'ud acknowledged the receipt of
the Hiofi Commissioner's ruling regarding the non-occupation of Subaihiah
bv either party. He said that he accepted this ruling and guaranteed that
there would be no further attack on Kuwait, nor would Subailhiah or Jalirah
be occupied by his troops, provided His Majesty's Government guaranteed
that no hostile move or advance were made from Kuwait, and that no tribes
hostile to him, like the Shammar, went to Shaikh Salim, and further that none
of his disloyal tribes, like the Mutair, ,Ajman, etc., were seduced or sheltered
bv Shaikh Salim. If, however. Shaikh Salim made any move from Kuwait
or approached Jahrah or Subaihiyah, he would not hold himself responsible
for the result.
The abo^e letter was apparently delayed in transit and before it was
received in Bahrain, Ibn Saud's reply to the High Commissioner's invitation
to Basrah, dated 18th November, had arrived there. He refused to come to
Basrah, as he had contracted a severe indisposition as a result of his visit to
i XJqair; his presence in Najd was necessary at the time, as it was the season
for the general tribal migrations which required special control ; and he had
received a report (which proved to be baseless) that the Amir 'Abdullah was
at • Hail. He offered to accept the High Commissioner's ruling regarding his
dispute with Kuwait in his absence. In a private letter of the same date to
the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain, he asked him whether he did not agree that it
would be greatly lowering to his dignity to go to Basrah.