‘Koweit [Kuwait]. A report compiled in the Intelligence Branch, Quarter Master General’s Department’ [‎16] (30/66)

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16
Koweit flies the Turkish flag, and has done so fir a number
c years. Sheikh Mubarak exp'ains this circumstance by
claunmcr that the flag he flies, though similar in design to that
of Turkey, is his own and that its similarity to the Turkish fW
is fortuitous; or, at the most, that while other Arab tribes have
flags of their own design, his tribe adopted the crescent on the
red ground as a religious emblem only. He positively asserts that
ie flies the flag of his fathers, and has never received one from the
1 urkish Government, and has never regarded the use of his own
flag as a sign of fealty to the Turk. Perhaps a more probable
explanation would be that the use of the Turkish flag was adopt-
ed years ago, for convenience by Koweit's shipping, especially
in their trade with the Turkish ports in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
7 he P res ent position of Koweit with regard to Great
R - TJu e S S have been defiaed b y the Minister,
Hnn g f r Honourable A - J- Balfour, in his declaration in the
T m0nS \ O r n 2 r! St A P ril ^os.on the subject of the
Balfour, on that occasion referred to
Kovveit as within the territories of a Sheikh whom we have
treatsP rotec ^ n ' and with whom we have special
Guff wh.r/ K COmpared 0thei ^ rts of the Persi ^
Oult where we have no such 4 preferential advantages.'
M ilitary F orces of K ovveit.
Sheikh Mubarak estimates
fignting force to be—
the strength of his available
(a) Fighting men in Koweit
^ " »« w thin 12 miles of Koweit
Total
Men.
19,000
12,000
31,000
to be relied o^n^tn tl )WCVer -' lIiat tIieSe % ures are scarcely
ava^leTnre \ol n0 o1 1 lLTdr !^K hiCh glVeS aS
to be accur-te It- ic itself, appears to be more likely
self has n^ very reliable d^ta^ 16 ^ K™-
estimate of his armed following 0n wTth 1C H ^ base . ^ f clo . se
inhabitants of Koweit m i ? exception of the
within a comnarativ ^lv f C I '^ara, and perhaps the tribesmen
adhesion oTthe wanderioff BeHn 8 ' ^ S ' Wik ' , ' S Capita1 ' the
f well as an Imp,"an! facto;" H " "l? 5 ' be a Variable '
Jehara to Koweit as a L* ^ en . ce ^e importance of
attracting Bedouins to allegiance to ^ ^
In the winter of looi-n? o r ,
camped just outside Jehara ' wl^rp i^ ^ army Was en "
seeing them. The tents .f • an opportunity of
clean and orderly. The tene P^ched, and the camp was
planted in the ground wifh S ^ eie g r ouped round standards
g onnd. with some appearance of organization.