Kuwait–Najd War

Kuwait-Najd War
Part of the unification of Saudi Arabia
Date 1919–1920 Location Kuwait Result Kuwaiti victory
Belligerents
Nejd Ikhwan[1]	Kuwait  United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Faisal al-Duwaish	Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah
Strength
5,000 cavalrymen	2,000 cavalrymen
Casualties and losses
Unknown	200 killed[2]

Part of a series on the
History of Kuwait
Prehistoric and ancient
Mesopotamia Bahra 1 H3 (Kuwait) Subiya Ubaid period Failaka Island Dilmun Ikaros Agarum Kazma Umm an Namil Island Shuwaikh Island Teredon
5th–15th century in
Maishan 5th–13th century Battle of Chains 629 / 633 Kazma 636
15th–18th century
Portuguese control 1500s Founding of Kuwait City 1613 Bani Utub invasion of Bahrain 1782–1783 Battle of Riqqa 1783 Ibn Ufaisan's Invasion 1793
18th century to 1961
Sheikhdom of Kuwait 1752–1961 Battle of Khakeekera 1811 Sheikh Humoud's Revolt 1828 Siege of Basra 1831 Siege of Al-Zubair 1833 Invasion of Muhammara 1837 Al-Hasa Expedition 1870–1871 Kuwaiti–Rashidi war 1900–1901 Battle of Jo-Laban 1903 Battle of Hadia 1910 Anglo-Ottoman Convention 1913 Mesopotamian Campaign 1914–1918 Kuwait–Najd War 1919–1920 Battle of Jahra 1920 Ikhwan Revolt 1927–1930
Kuwait since 1961
State of Kuwait 1961–1990 1991–present Operation Vantage 1961 Abdul Karim Qasim's crisis 1961–1963 Six-Day War 1967 Samita border skirmish 1973 October War 1973 Terrorism attack on the Japanese Embassy in Kuwait 1974 Kuwait bombings 1983 Aircraft hijackings 1984–1988 Attempted assassination of Emir Jaber 1985 Invasion of Kuwait 1990 Republic of Kuwait 1990–1991 Gulf War 1990–1991 Kuwaiti oil fires 1991 Palestinian exodus from Kuwait 1990–1991 2015 Kuwait mosque bombing 2015
See also
List of museums in Kuwait History of Bahrain Al Zubara
v t

The Kuwait–Najd War erupted in the aftermath of World War I. The war occurred because Ibn Saud of Najd wanted to annex Kuwait.^[3][4] The sharpened conflict between Kuwait and Najd led to the death of hundreds of Kuwaitis. The war resulted in sporadic border clashes throughout 1919–1920.

Following the Kuwait–Najd War, Ibn Saud imposed a trade blockade against Kuwait for 14 years from 1923 until 1937.^[3][5] The goal of the Saudi economic and military attacks on Kuwait was to annex as much of Kuwait's territory as possible.^[3] At the Uqair conference in 1922, the boundaries of Kuwait and Najd were set.^[3] Kuwait had no representative at the Uqair conference.^[3] After the Uqair conference, Kuwait was still subjected to a Saudi economic blockade and intermittent Saudi raiding.^[3]

Events[]

In 1913 Emir Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Riyadh captured the Sanjak of Hasa from the Ottomans to become the new neighbor to the Emirate of Kuwait. According to the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913, Kuwait's border extended south to Manifa (about 200 km from Kuwait city), but the newly expanded Saudi state didn't recognize the Convention since the Ottoman province annexed to Najd.

In 1919 Sheikh Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah intended to build a commercial city in the south of Kuwait. This caused a diplomatic crisis with Najd, but Britain intervened, discouraging Sheikh Salim.

In 1920, an attempt by the Ikhwan to build a stronghold in southern Kuwait led to the Battle of Hamdh. The Battle of Hamdh involved 2,000 Ikhwan fighters against 100 Kuwaiti cavalrymen and 200 Kuwaiti infantrymen. The battle lasted for six days and resulted in heavy but unknown casualties on both sides resulting in the victory of the Ikhwan forces and leading to the battle of Jahra around the Kuwait Red Fort.

The Battle of Jahra happened as the result of the Battle of Hamdh. A force of three to four thousand Ikhwan, led by Faisal al-Duwaish, attacked the Red Fort at Al-Jahra, defended by fifteen hundred men. The fort was besieged and the Kuwaiti position precarious; had the fort fallen, Kuwait would likely have been incorporated into Ibn Saud's empire.^[6]

The Ikhwan attack repulsed for the while, negotiations began between Salim and al-Duwaish; the latter threatened another attack if the Kuwaiti forces did not surrender. The local merchant class convinced Salim to call in help from British troops, who showed up with airplanes and three warships, ending the attacks.^[6]

After the Battle of Jahra, Ibn Saud's warriors, the Ikhwan, demanded that Kuwait follows five rules: evict all the Shias, adopt the Ikhwan doctrine, label the Turks "heretics", abolish smoking, munkar and prostitution, and destroy the American missionary hospital.^[7]

Kuwait is known for its religious tolerance.^[8] Palgrave noted that:^[8]

"The Sunni people of Kuwait are tolerant to others and not over-rigid to themselves; Wahhabism is carefully proscribed, all the efforts of Najd have never succeeded in making one single proselyte at Kuwait."^[8]

Aftermath[]

The 1922 Treaty of Uqair set Kuwait's border with Saudis and also established the Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone, an area of about 5,180 km² adjoining Kuwait's southern border.

See also[]

• Kuwait Red Fort
• Unification of Saudi Arabia
• Ikhwan
• Faisal al-Duwaish

References[]