File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎5r] (18/834)

Expeditionary Force pays to friendlies in the field. He
stipulates further for a gift of light field guns and machine-guns
and the co-operation' of a regiment of Turkish Camel Corps.
His own contingent he hopes to raise from his Muntefiq
and from Duleim and Anazeh tribesmen, but not from any
Shammar elements (an indication that he is not well with Ibn
Rashid at present) : and he promises to drive us off the
Euphrates from the Shatt el-Arab to Nejef, and to seize the
Basra-Nasriyah railway. As for cash he asks a good deal for
himself, his brother Hamid, and his nephew, Yusuf, and also for
his dme danmee, Mohammed el-Barak el-Aseimi, and the latter’s
brother, Yusuf. This man, an old foe of Seyyid Talib at
Basrah, was originally responsible for Ajeimi’s reconciliation
with the Turks and adhesion to the C.U.P.
The Germano-Turk command of the “ Yilderim ” Armies has
accepted Ajeimi’s terms in principle, and is providing gold for
the immediate use of the G.O.C., Euphrates Force. Hitherto
Ajeimi’s co-operation has not proved much worth while, and his
behaviour during the original Turkish attempt to retake Basrah
and ever since does not argue that he is a persevering and
energetic man of war. But the Yilderim command should know
what it is about, and on our long Euphrates flank, a mobile
desert force is undoubtedly to be feared. It should be added,
however, that the Turks do not appear to rely implicitly on
Ajeimiorto be prepared to fall in permanently with his demands.
They hope to make use of him only at the first and to be able to
dispense with him later. Meanwhile they are seeking to suborn
other tribal elements as well, with a sum of money ear-marked
expressly for the purpose.
ARABIA.
North-West.
Raid near Bir esh-Shediyah.
The following report, dated October 10 , has been received
from Major Lawrence, C.B. :—
“I left Akaba on September 27, to test an automatic mine
on the Hejaz railway. In view of the possibility of wider
operations in October, I took with me Lieutenant Pisani, of the
French section at Akaba, and three educated Syrians (Faiz and
Bedri el-Moayyad, and Lutfi el-Asali), in order to train them in
anti-railway tactics.
We marched to Rum on September 29, where we stopped
three days. Lieut. Pisani had fever, and I spent the time in
showing him and the others the preliminary work of mining and
arranging with Sherif Hashim, a Shenabra, who is O.C., Rum,
details of the Bedouin force required. Feisal’s orders to him