ملف ٢٢\٢٣ III مؤتمر الكويت [و‎‎٦‎١] (٢٠٠/١٢١)

Telegram (P) #
Yd g
From High Comialaaioner, Bagh^d.
To Colonial Office; repeated to Jerusalem, Bu&hlre &
Knox*
No 0 80-S (No 0 134 to London),,
Sated ?th April 1*34. (Received 8-4-24)„
•
Xour telegram No„ 160 d/ited 4th April* I have now received
the report*of a special service officer. Captain Driver,
who hae visited all the scattered camps of refugees from
the Ikhwan raid and has careful)./ tested and collated
evidence from a variety of sources* He has come to the
conclusion that 146 men and 127 women and children were
killed by the Ikhwan, and 26,500 sheep, 3710 donkeys, 5
horses and 2 camels captured* The Ikhwan massacred all
men and boys who were captured or wounded but spared women
and the casualties among the latter were due to rifle fire
at the tljie of the attack* The attacking force was commanded
by Ibn Sa’ud’a principle lieutenant, Fhiaal ad-Dawlah^ and
■* “ • •
numbered between twelve and sixteen thousand* The attack
took place on the morning of 14th March, it was led by hors e *
*•
men who were subsequently reinforced by a large body of
camel men* Fighting continued until sunset* The Ikhwan camped
on the spot and remained there for three days after the
attack* The scene of the raid was a network of wadis in the
neighbourhood of Umm al-Hashlm Just within * Iraq territory*
With all due respect I will now examine the argument
that the Sultan of M&jd was no more responsible for this
raid than the Government of * Iraq was for the raids by tee
Shammar last summer, and that the two seta of raids can be
considered parallel* In the case of this raid by the Ikhwan
(1) There was the Conference sitting to discuss the relaticns
between the two states, and that fact should entail & very^
special measure of abstinence from provocation on both sides .
(2) Ibn Srv’ud had officially threatened in his letter dated