File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎42r] (92/834)

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Guise (Intelligence Officer) and Mr. Ali Ibrahim (Interpreter),
was more worthily received than previous missions have been,
and its two interviews with Idrisi took place in the open day!
Idrisi s motor-car was brought out, and the officers were
shown the country about Jeizan and some of Idrisi’s agricultural
enterprises ; but they were not encouraged to proceed, as they
desired, to the fighting front in the Abs country. They had
opportunities of talking to the Hasliid and Bekil chiefs' who
were at Jeizan ; but, unfortunately, Nasir Mabkhut’s very
indifferent state of health prevented Major Reilly from having
much conversation with the most interesting 1 of them.
©
The Hashid and Bekil chiefs actually at Jeizan, or known
to be taking part in actual operations for Idrisi, or expected
shortly, were (beside ISTasir Mabkhut himself) the following
important Hashid sheikhs: Masud el-Barak, Salih ibn Ma’id
Moghrabi, Ali ibn Rafai, Jubran el-Ghashim—all of the Dim
Udhrah—and also Hasan Mukbil Fara of the Dim Fari, Salih
ibn Muslih of the Himran (Nasir Mabkhut’s nephew), and the
Sheikh of Kharif Qudemi.
The Bekil were represented by Ibn Hebeish of Sufian,
Nagib Ali Husein Mahfal and Yahya ibn Yahya esh-Shaif (the
two last not actually arrived at Jeizan).
About 1,600 Hashid tribesmen are stated to be now under
arms at el-Khushm above Raigha and in the hills, and ISTasir
Mabkhut talks of calling out some 8,000 more. The Bekil could
add 4,000 to 5,000 men under Yahya ibn Yahya esh-Shaif. A
third of these ask for rifles ; all need ammunition, and all are
reported ready and willing to fight—if well paid.
So far, therefore, Idrisi has justified his claim to have
numerous Hashid and Bekil tribesmen at his call on certain
simple conditions. As for his own forces, he says that, at
present, he has in the field 5,000 of his home tribesmen (of Abu
Arish, Sabbiyah, Beni Marwan, Masareha and Jaafara) and 5,000
auxiliaries from the allied tribes of Beni Abs (part only), Aslam
and Nashar. He is maintaining outposts along the hills from
the Abs country to Jebel Khaulan esh-Sham, and towards
Saadah. The Rijal el-Ma, who are fighting independently about
Ebhah, are said to have 7,000 men out. They look to Idrisi for
ammunition, and he proposes to leave the Ebhah Turks to their
enterprise.
As for Idrisi’s own plan of campaign, it is unnecessary here
to go into it in detail. Briefly the first phase is to consist in the
capture of Loheiya, Jarb and Zahirah by a coastal march, while
Hashid and Bekil make a descent from two points on the inland
flank of the Beni Abs country. Thus Idrisi hopes to isolate the
Turkish forces in the latter region (he estimates them at about
3,000 men), and to starve them out. This would be the second
phase. When these operations have been accomplished, he
proposes to move on south, and join up with rebel elements of