File 756/1917 Pt 1 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 1 to 65’ [‎526r] (1056/1240)

On May 13 and 14, Sherif Sharraf, with whom was
Lieutenant H. S. Hornby, made two raids near Muadhdham. In
at Deraa, except for the gendarmerie. Between Deraa and Maan
are no troops except the Railway- battalion, and it should as easy
to cut the line there as near Medain Salih, since the Beni Sakhr
are very strong and anti-Turk. At Maan were two alai when
he passed through, but these had been sent to Gaza a month ago,
and he believed one compairy of cavalry. Two companies
infatitry were the only troops left. The hospital at Maan is full;
all Medina sick are sent there ; and large numbers have gone
from Fakhri’s army. At Tebuk were 300 men with mules ;
these were moved to Medain Saleh, then back to Tebuk, then
again to Medain where he believes are their present headquarters.
Tebuk had, otherwise, practically no troops. Kamel Eff. (from
Tarablus el-Gharb), was C.O. a very dark man and pro-Turk.
Another lot of about 300 mules has lately come under Selim Bey.
There are a good many troops at Medain and el-Ula, but he had
no details. Jemal Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. was G.O.C. He is from Ismid, and
not to be mixed up with the two original Jemals of Syrian fame.
Mohammed Bey, his staff officer, is Arab and pro-Sherif. The
Agevl, or Camel Corps, from Wejh still continues at el-Ula
under Yuzb. Bakri Bey with about 150 hagins ; but other three
deserters lately arrived from el-Ula on their camels say they left
the other half of the force, consisting now of 300, at el-Ula.
Miralai Salaheddin Bey is staff officer to Fakhri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , but very
unfriendly to the latter.
3. General.
People in Medina, perhaps 20,000, have no food, or very
little. Every railway station receives a month’s rations monthly,
but no bigger reserve.
He believes there are 10,000 or more deserters in Jebel
Druse and large numbers at Nablus ; his conversation on the
prospects of successful action north of Maan were most
encouraging, including his belief that the Turks would not be
able to "enter the Beni Sakhr country easily, if the latter rose.
The Turks are not hard up for food, he thinks, owing to the new
exemption law by which payments are made in kind.
As regards the situation along the northern sections of the
railway, we are informed, under date Ma^ 2o, that the Beni
Atiyah’have occupied Ram (or Imram), an important point
about fifty miles east of Akaba, and that the Amran section of
the Huweitat, under Ibri Jazi, is prepared to co-operate with
them in attacking posts along the Akaba-Maan road. The Beni
Atiyah are said 'to have made a raid of their own on the troops
(labour corps ?) in the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Ethil, south of Tebuk, and to have
captured a Yuzbashi and t^n men.