ملف ٧٠٥/١٩١٦ الجزء ٢ "انتفاضة عربية: التقارير العربية؛ تقارير السير م. سايكس" [ظ‎‎١‎٣‎٥] (٤٥٠/٢٦٨)

experience of this part of the country and are
and bad. Those who are afar off and the ^ood are devoted
own men. The evilly-disposed people aie in their tavo > ^ ^ hen yom . ships
force them to behave properly, but also enlist them as &0 ‘ a o took refuse with
their supporters in the near vicinity (as was done five J«»rs ago). they to ■ g
the Sherif of Mecca, thus setting up intrigues useful solely to th 0 i.uik • . fc . g not
The Sherif will be content that these people have simp } , , -u , r; ] -,,
in his power to force them to take further action. Consequently the ^rkswJl gam
shelter, and no forces from Mecca to Asm are likely to come. , , , aa p aTe
available the people of Asir, who are powerful, will not be affected by s them. they
strontlv fortified bills. It is a matter for wonder that such a stratagem should have
annealed to the Sherif of Mecca, for he has actually assisted the partisans ol the iutks,
:inas ala that the people on whom reliance could be P^-^lbrlurils i
have never befriended the Turks, should stop our operations. What is m° r e ™r ous is
the support given to him (the Sherif) by British officers m this
the ship at Comfida, in order to propitiate the confederates o[ the lurKS m the name
of the Sherif, threatened the removal of our people under humiliating terms, uot^it -
standing that these were posted at Comfida by Government. The ‘^dship rf these
people with us and the Government has resulted in such an tmpasse, and the difficulties
arising therefrom may be summarised as follows :—
1 The tribesmen will not hereafter have confidence in us nor in the acts or the
British Government. ,
2 On the liberation of the Turkish party from our control, they have become
powerful and are working in the interest of the Turks As a result they
have actually removed the remainder of the soldiers of Comfida, who with
their guns and equipments were in open places, to Mohan, which, owing to
their fear of us, they could not venture to do before.
3. Our friendlies, on seeing the success of the pro-Turks, will nave an ardent
desire to join them. r £ u .
4 The Turks at Abba and Mohail have nothing to fear from any attack of fighting
men from Comfida, Tihama (low land), and hills. We had already
organised armies from these men in the year when we besieged xvoha. the
soldiers who proceeded from us were able to draw them to a fight, because
they are natives of the place and are better acquainted with its wa^s.
5. The country of Asir belongs to us, and if we are cut off from it we shall have no
supporters left there. . „
G. Our preparations for defence and our preliminary measures made m the event of
the Turks’ return are thereby rendered fruitless.
7. The blockade against Abha and its dependencies is removed, because the
opening of Comfida for trade is tantamount to allowing goods to leach the
interior which is enemy country.
8. All the work done by our posts, such as the interruption of communication
between the south and Asir will have been in vain. Had it not been for
this, the Sherif of Mecca would have had no success in his present under
taking. The Turks had made all necessary preparations at Mecca, hut they
were afraid of the day when troubles might arise from the South and Asii,
and so they had also made preparations to meet such eventuality.
The action was started at Mecca, and our posts intervened between the^ Turks and
Sherif. The Sherif, therefore, was able to attain his object through us. Inis is oui
explanation of the circumstances. We deem it incumbent on us to withdraw our
soldiers from Comfida, and a delegate of ours has been deputed for ^this purpose on
Wednesday last, and left in the ship with our mutual friend, Captain Turton.
These matters are obnoxious to us, and we feel sorry to see the Sherif of Mecca is
pursuing the old policy of the Turks and trusts these hypocritical friends. This is
because he never had any fighting against the Turks, and has no experience of the