Battle of Sabilla

Prelude

The Ikhwan had raided various regions bordering Arabia throughout the 1920s. While raiding was often a part of Bedouin life, the Ikhwan took it a step further: they would raze entire villages, and kill women and children they deemed to be insufficiently pious. This was done even against Ibn Saud's orders or instructions.

By the late 1920s, Saudi expansion had begun to slow down, and any territory not under the control of Ibn Saud was ruled by various foreign powers. The Ikhwan desired to expand into Iraq, Transjordan, Kuwait, and even further, but Ibn Saud refused. He not only realized the folly of engaging in war with the British, but was bound by the Treaty of Jeddah to recognize the borders of British-held territories. The Ikhwan took this as appeasing the non-Muslim British. Ibn Saud also desired to modernize his empire, which the Ikhwan opposed. The Ikhwan also opposed Ibn Saud's attempts to centralize his government, which they saw as threatening to tribal autonomy that had reigned in Arabia for so long, as well as tribal taxation. At last, in 1927, the Ikhwan rose up in open revolt against Saudi rule.

The Ikhwan were driven by a medieval Bedouin view of combat, in which two sides opposed one another and sought who would bear the greater courage and physical strength. By contrast, Ibn Saud was a religious but pragmatic leader, and had sought to upgrade doctrinal and technological innovation. This stark difference would come out in the battle to come.

Battle

On March 29, the Ikhwan arranged a defensive array against the Saudis. Saudi forces attacked first, then appeared to withdraw. The Ikhwan, believing they had an opportunity, pursued. This was a trap. Previously hidden Saudi forces now revealed themselves, opening up with British-supplied automatic weapons. Included among these were automobile-mounted machine guns, which were used against the camels. The counterattack was crushed.

Faisal al-Dawish, one of the three leaders of the rebellious Ikhwan tribes, was wounded in the battle. According to Ibn Saud Information Resource, his injury was "serious". Another leader, Sultan bin Bajad, allegedly fled the battle scene.

Aftermath

In the eyes of Ibn Saud's supporters, the battle was necessary for the ability to continue Saudi conquest of the peninsula. The Ikhwan regarded it as a massacre and a betrayal. Al-Dawish and Bin Bajad would remain in jail for the rest of their life.

Although skirmishes with the Ikhwan continued after Sabilla, the forces were for the most part decimated. The last few leaders of the Ikhwan would surrender at the Kuwaiti border to British forces. The remnants of the Ikhwan would go on to become the Saudi Arabian National Guard. The Saudi monarchy would not have another threat to its rule until the seizing of the Grand Mosque in 1979.

References

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