'Administration Reports 1925-1930' [‎47r] (98/418)

76
CHAPTER XIIL
Administration Beport of the Kuwait Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. for the year 1925.
Personnel. —Major J. C. More, D.S.O., tield charge of the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
throughout the year.
Assistant Surgeon X W. Woodsell, M.C., I .M .D., was in Medical Charge of
the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , and performed the duties of Quarantine Medical Officer throughout
the year.
The Ruling Family. —His Excellency Shaikh ^hmad al-Jabir as-Subah,
C.I.E., was absent from Kuwait from the 30th July to the 26th August on a visit
to "Iraq. l)uring his absence his uncle, Shaikh Hamad al-Mubarak as Subah.
officiated for him.
Condition of the ^Biplomatic relatoing between Kuwait
and Najd remained good, nothwithstanding the fact that Ibn Sa'ud continued his
policy of prohibiting his subjects from trading with Kuwait.
On the 7th January over a hundred sheep were found in an exhausted condi
tion to the west of Jahrah. They had been raided from the Zaiyad and other
'Iraq tribes at Umm ar-Rahl, 65 miles south of Nasiriyah, on the 26th December
1924 by a party of Ikhwan, and had abandoned t hem two days later, oil being
bombed by British aeroplanes. The Shaikh ihen7looked after," and eventually
handed over to their owners.
A raid took place on the 14th January between Yah and Abatih, about twenty
five miles north of Jahrah, in which a party of Mutair, consisting of 17 horsemen
and about 350 camel riders under Jazza' bin 'Ashwan and Mukhlif bin Jarbu',
both of the Buriah section of the tribe, attacked the Atarimuh, a sub-section of
the Ghiyadah section of the 'Awazim. They killed about twenty of the 'Awazim,
including five children, and captured sixty camels and a large number of sheep,
including some belonging to Shaikh Salman al-Hamud and Shaikh 'Ali al-Kha-
lifah of Kuwait. Some of these were subsequently recovered.
During the latter part of January extensive raids on the 'Awazim were car
ried out by Najd refugees in 'Iraq. It appears that about 45 horsemen and over
50 camel riders originally set out, but a discussion arose as to where they should
go, and the raiders split up into two parties. One of these, under 'AH abu
Shuwairibat, of the Birzan sub-section of the Buraih section of the Mutair, raid
ed the Mula'ibah, a sub-section of the (xhiyodh 'Awazim, at a place called Rish
Xa'am, some 125 miles south of Kuwait, and carried off over 200 camels. The
other paity, under Mahamnjan bin Qarashi and Hashr al-Mutalaqqim of the
'Ajman, and Dhaidan al-Fuqm of the Muwahah sub-section of the 'Ilwah section
of the Mutair, raided the camp of Dhaidan ash-Shuwaimi. At first they were
successful, but other 'Awazim came to the rescue and recovered everything.
The raiders only retired for a short distance, and, as it was bitterly cold, and
as they had captured no plunder and did not expect to be followed, halted for
the night. The 'Awazim, however, sent word to Ibn Sa'ud's detachment, which
at once started in pursuit. They surrounded the raiders at dawn the next morn
ing, and killed all of them, with the exception of Hashr al-Mutalaqqim, who was
saved by friends in the detachment.
On the 1st February 130 sheep, which were being brought from Zubair to
Kuwait, were plundred by twelve men near Jahrah. Of these, however, over a
hundred were subsequently recovered and returned by Ibn Sa'ud's detachment.
This was only one of a series of outrages perpetrated by a band of robbers—
they could hardly be called raiders—, consisting partly of local
'Uraibdar and partly of 'Awazim from the main tribe, who had
been terrorizing the country round Kuwait for several weeks. On the 14th
February a patrol of fourteen men sent out by the Shaikh came upon thirty of
these robbers near Jahrah, and, after obtaining help from the village, succeeded
in dispersing the band and capturing eleven of them. These men, who included
the ring-leaders, were imprisoned by the Shaikh, and no further trouble was ex
perienced.