"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [و‎‎٣‎٤] (٣٩٦/٧٤)

FOR THE YEAR 1915,
67
appendix 11.
The Arms Traffic in the Persian Gulf during- the year 1915.
The almost complete collapse of the Arms Traffic in the Persian Gulf, which took place
during the latter part of the year 1914, was maintained throughout the year under report.
No Naval or Military preventive measures were taken during this period and the only
means of supervision in th's connection was that carried out by Police Constables, one of whom
travelled on board each mall steamer plying in the Gulf, in addition to their otlier duties wbich
were in connection with the Police at Basrah.
On the other hand the same system of Tntelliarence has been maintained and landings
reported as heretofore. These landings have been exceptionally few and of minor importance.
The large body of Afghans which arrived in Makran during the winter of 1914-15 went
away practically empty-handed. What little success they achieved was in obtaining a few old
pattern weapons bought mostly from the inhabitants of Persian Baluchistan and to a very
small extent a better pattern from Batinah, Debai and Qatar by a few of the more enterprising
members of the party who proceeded to these places by boat.
It seems clear that the stocks of arms on the Batinah, Trucial and Qatar coasts of the
Gulf are finished and that whatever munitions remain at Kuwait will be, if it is not already
the case, absorbed locally.
To state, however, that the Arms Traffic in the Persian Gulf is dead would not be quite in
conformity with facts. As was pointed out in the " Report on the Arms Traffic in the Persian
Gulf during 1914 ^ one of the likely means of obtaining arms in the future would be from
the Arab tribes in Mesopotamia. It appears feasible that those living in the rear of the
advancing troops coald be induced to part with their own rides and would also be in a position
to gather arms from a battleiield and bide them until such time as they could be safely
disposed of.
That some such procedure has been adopted seems evident from the fact that Turkish
rifles are now m the possession of certain Baluch tribesmen and a small quantity of these
weapons with ammunition was captured on board a mail steamer at Maskat being brought
from Mohammerah to Pasni for transport inland.
Another source of supply which must be taken into consideration is the large quantity of
arms brought into Persia by the Germans via Kermanshah and elsewhere, and by ourselves.
When Persia, and Southern Persia in particular, becomes a more settled and well-ordered
country it would seem that there is a danger of these arms finding their way over the border
unless some system is adopted w T hereby the disposition of arms is controlled. Lack of
ammunition and a superabundance of rifles in Persia would tend to induce the possessors of the
jatter to part with them to the highest bidder.
It seems reasonable to assume also that the Afghans, finding their source of supply in the
Persian Gulf cut off, will shortly make endeavours to exploit Persia and give good prices for
these rifles which are of the type that they require, especially those Service weapons imported
by us, and thus a recrudericence of trans-Frontier trade in arms will appear.
Bandar Abbas ; ^ E. C. WITHERS, Lieutenant, R, I. M.,
The 10th April 2916. ) Intelligence Officer, Persian Gulf.
Report by Mr. F. Pin sent, Assistant Superintendent, Jask Suh-Division, Indo-European
Telegraph Department, dated Chirbar, the 1st July 1915, m connection with the importa
tion of arms into the Mekran during the half-year ending the 30th June 1915.
The patrol and telephone establishment has been maintained on the same scale as that
of the previous half year and occasional cash presents given to people interesting themselves
on our behalf.
The half-year under report has been noted for the large number of Afghan traders who,
without previous intimation of their movements being received, arrived at different places
in the Mekran in search of arms. It was reported from several telephone stations and
confirmed through various sources that, early in January, the Afghan caravans totalled
approximately 6U0 men scattered over Bint, Fanuch, Gaih and Kasserkand districts. The
parties quickly got to work and information of their movements in the Karwan district and
other places was received a few weeks later. I addressed both the subsidised Chiefs, Sirdars
Saiyid and Islam Khan, but could get no satisfactory reply from either, each chief bbmed
the other for harbouring the Afghans. Sirdar Islam Khan later on acknowledged the presence
of a few individual Afghans at Bint, he said they were there to pay their respects to the
Khalifa, but at the same time he was taking precautions to have them watched and had
warned the headmen of the ports in his district to see that no assistance was given by the