'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎92v] (189/454)

162 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
entirely on the side of the British and that one of his chief
desires was the liberation of Basra and its severance from
Turkey. There was no reason to doubt this assurance, which
was further confirmed by Major Shakespear’s report. He
wrote that there had been unaffected rejoicing in Centra]
Arabia at our capture of Basra and Qurna ; and our procla
mation regarding the immunity of the Moslem Holy Places had
been much appreciated. The Jahad was receiving no support
in Southern Nejd.
Ibn Saud had explained the original Turkish plan for
utilizing against us the tribes of Arabia ; i.e., a reconcilia
tion was to be effected between the two rival Emirs, Ibn
Saud and Ibn Rashid; Ibn Saud was then to defend Basra
and oppose a British advance ; Ibn Rashid and the Anaiza*
were to join the western tribes in an advance on the Sinai
Peninsula and Egypt; and the Sharif of Mecca, the Imam
Yahya and Sayad Idrisi were to defend the Yemen, the Hejaz,
and the Holy Places. According to Ibn Saud, his intervention
had caused this plan to miscarry. The Sharif of Mecca, the
Anaiza and Ibn Saud had decided to hold together, and the
Anaiza had promised to co-operate with Ibn Saud against Ibn
Rashid. Ibn Saud explained, however, that he had been
obliged to temporise with the Turks. He had expressed to
them his inability to be reconciled with Ibn Rashid and the
consequent necessity of his remaining to protect Nejd until
Ibn Rashid had advanced against Egypt. Major Shakespear
said that at the time he wrote, Ibn Saud was on his way to
attack Ibn Rashid, whom he hoped to defeat by the end of
January. Ibn Saud asked for a definite treaty with Great
Britain, as his present indefinite position was embarrassing.
Unless such a treaty could be arranged, there was always the
danger that force of circumstances might oblige him to take
action apparently favourable to Turkey. This report was
satisfactory so far as it went; but, having regard to the
distances and forces involved, it showed that we could not
expect any help from Ibn Saud in the region of the Euphrates
for some time to come.
By the 18th January, when General Barrett visited Qurna, the
Turkish and Arab activity in that vicinity had much increased.
The Turkish outposts were occupying a line of sand-hills about
two miles south of Ruta creekj and they were making night
* The Anaiza form what is probably the largest group of Arab tribes.
Occupying the desert between the Euphrates and Syria, they are at feud with
the Shammar, the dominant Arab group in Upper Mesopotamia.
t See Map 2.