File 3300/1916 Pt 3 'Aden News-Letters: 1919-20' [‎326v] (8/633)

In the event of a jehad, the Imam can put 60,000
Rafik Bey has 2,000 regulars with him aTTafr
■ is not known. The Imam’s force at present
in the surrounding country,
regulars and irregul ars
in addition to irregulars, whose number _ A — uu
in Saafan, Jebel Bura and Jebel Keima consists of 500 regulars with an unknown
number of irregulars. This force is officered by Arabs who have been educated
trained in Constantinople, as the Imam will not trust Turkish officers to command h ? 3
men in actual warfare. There are a few irregulars at Mawia 1 he Imam has over
100 guns of all sizes in his fortress at Sahara. If he requires any guns for an
exp^dllfoh they are always drawn from this fortress. r I he guns at Sana are never
called upon, there are 15,000 rifles stored in this fortress. The guns at Sana, with
the exception of the old immovable fortress guns, were given to the Imam by
Mahomed Tewfiq, the late commander-in-chief of the 1 urkish forces : in the Yemen,
before he could get permission to surrender.
The guns at Taiz were given by Said Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. to sheikh Mahomed Nasir Mukbil of
Mawia. They were at Mawia until the Imam sent down a force of 300 Zeidis, which
forced Mahomed Kasir.Mukbil to surrender them. There are also two mountain guns
at Zabeed and two at-Wenakha. The Imam has guns posted all over the country.
The Imam is not very anxious about the Idrisi, but was really anxious about Ibn
1 Saud. However, the latter advanced against Saada in such a foolish way and by so
| difficult a road that,the number of casualties he suffered has .relieved the Imam’s
1 anxiety. Sickness broke out at Saada amongst Ibn Saud s men, and he has had to
! retire. In the opinion of the informants, with two aeroplanes and 10,000 men Ibn
ISaud could have taken Sana in half-an-hour.
‘ The ammunition factory An East India Company trading post. under the Austrian, George, is still turning out unlimited
ammunition. The Commanding Royal Artillery at Sana is Lieutenant-Colonel
Mahmoud Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. .
A lance-corporal of the 1st Yemen Infantry in Aden, who had proceeded on leave
to the Yemen, reports that men who are known to have served in the 1st Yemen
Infantry are fined from 50To 100*dollars, or in default have to suffer an imprisonment.
Two deserters from the Yemen Infantry are said to be acting as informers and report
the return o! the Yemen Infantry men.
This same corporal states that while he was at Dhala on the 2nd December 600
Imamic soldiers entered the place and that another force ol 400 arrived at Kataba.
On enquiry he learnt that these troops were sent for the invasion of the territory
occupied by the Kotaibi, Haushabi and other tribes in the Aden Protectorate.
The lance-corporal states that Ibb is full of troops and that the Zeidis have taken
possession of all the arms, ammunition, &c., which the people of Ibb had received
from the Turks.
r
Adm Protectorate.
According to a report 150 Zeidis have arrived at Dhala and more are expected.
The Imam’s commander at Dhala intends to send a party of Zeidis to Al Agood and
Radfan in the Aden Protectorate to enforce the payment of tithes, which the people of
these places have refused.
An informant from Dhala states that small parties of Zeidis have been arriving
for the past week or so, and that all approaches to Dhala are held by piquets of these
men. He says that 100 men of the Dhala garrison are armed with new Italian
magazine rifles.
A party of Mansuris and Makhdumis (Subehis) in our protectorate is reported to
have raided the Somati section of the Subehis and carried away thirty-one camels after
killing two Somatis. This raid appears to be in retaliation for a raid made by the
Somatis some time ago, in which they had killed one Mansuri and one Makhdumi an
carried away a flock of sheep and goats. The Abdali Sultan is trying to settle the
dispute. ^
Mukbil Abdulla, referred to in the last letter, is now reported to have gone to i
Dhala, and I hear that he will not be permitted to leave until he has placed his son as
a hostage. ■ . I
The Imam’s commander at Dhala is said to have tom-tomed a notice to the enec
that all goods should pass through Dhala, where transit dues will be levied, and a
goods going by other routes will be confiscated. ,
T. E. SCOTT, Major-General.
, Aden, December 22, 1920.