'Report on the operations carried out in the southern desert in connection with the Iraq-Najd borders, June 1928-May 1929.' [‎13] (15/32)

13
4f). In order to maintain close touch with the situation in
^me south, a special service officer and a W/T station were sent
to Kuwait by Victoria on 11th March.
47. Early in April, news was received at Kuwait of a crushing
defeat inflicted by the forces of Ibn Sa'ud on the rebel 'Ataibah
and Mutair in the vicinity of Sibilla on 30th March. Faisal ad
Dawish was reported to have escaped from the scene of battle
with his life, and to have fled, seriously wounded, to Artawiyah ;
Sultan ibn Humaid was reported imprisoned in Riyadh.
48. With the leaders of the rebel movement vanquished,
the threat of further attacks on the 'Iraq frontier became
negligible and following the normal retirement of the
Muntafik and Diwaniyah tribes to the riverain area, the
withdrawal of R.A.F. advanced units commenced.
On 3rd April the flight of No. 84 (Bomber) Squadron was
withdrawn from Busaiyah to Shaibah.
On 5th April the Armoured Car Section at Nukhaib was
withdrawn and returned to its permanent station, Mosul.
49. On 7th April the 'Iraq tribes in Kuwait began a general
withdrawal towards Safwan. The Armoured Car Section
remained near Jahrah till the 18th when it moved to Rodhatain.
The majority of 'Iraq tribes were then clear of Kuwait territory,
and the section returned to Basrah on the 2()th. On the same
day the flight of No. 55 (Bombsr) Squadron at Sulman was
withdrawn to Hinaidi.
50. The flight at Nukhaib was withdrawn to Hinaidi on
12th April, and, owing to the scarcity of water there, the
'Iraq Army garrison was reduced to half a Machine Gun
Company and four Lewis Gun Sections, the Rifle Company,
less Lewis Gun Sections, moving to Karbala.
51. In concluding this report it is worthy of note that
although between the months of December, 1928, and March,
1929, the 'Iraq frontier from the Wadian area to the Persian
Gulf—about 600 miles in length—was threatened by Akhwan
raiding parties at one time or another throughout practically
its whole extent, only one raiding party actually violated
'Iraq territory.
This was on 28th December, 1928 (vide para. 13), and that
raiding party was immediately attacked from the air and put
to flight before it had time to do any damage. It is considered
that this provides further evidence of the efficacy of the
scheme of defensive posts in the Southern Desert as advanced
bases and intelligence centres.
(C554)