The Battle of Jahra was a battle during the

Kuwait–Najd War The Kuwait–Najd War erupted in the aftermath of World War I. The war occurred because Ibn Saud of Najd wanted to annex Kuwait. The sharpened conflict between Sheikhdom of Kuwait, Kuwait and Emirate of Nejd and Hasa, Najd led to the death of hun ...

, fought between Kuwaiti forces and Saudi-supported militants. The battle took place in

Al-Jahra Al Jahra ( ar, الجهراء) is a town and city located west of the centre of Kuwait City in Kuwait. Al Jahra is the capital of the Al Jahra Governorate of Kuwait as well as the surrounding Al Jahra District which is agriculturally based. Encyc ...

, west of

Kuwait City Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...

on 10 October 1920 around the

Kuwait Red Fort The Kuwait Red Fort ( ar, القصر الأحمر, al-Qaṣr al-ʾAḥmar), or ''Red Palace'', is a historic palace and museum that lies about 32 kilometres west of Kuwait City in Al-Jahra. The fort was the location of the Battle of Jahra ...

The battle

The battle took into effect as a result of the

Battle of Hamdh The Battle of Hamdh (Arabic:معركة حمض ) involved 2,000 Ikhwan fighters and 100 Kuwaiti cavalry accompanied by 200 Kuwaiti infantrymen. The battle lasted six days and resulted in heavy but unknown casualties on both sides. See also * Ba ...

. A force of three to four thousand

Ikhwan The Ikhwan ( ar, الإخوان, al-ʾIkhwān, The Brethren), commonly known as Ikhwan min ta'a Allah ( ar, إخوان من أطاع الله), was a traditionalist religious militia made up of traditionally nomadic tribesmen which formed a signif ...

, led by

Faisal Al-Dawish Faisal bin Sultan al-Duwaish (Arabic: فيصل بن سلطان .الدويش المطيري c. 1882 – 1931) was Prince of the Mutair tribe and one of Arabia's Ikhwan leaders, who assisted Abdulaziz in the unification of Saudi Arabia. The moth ...

, attacked the

Red Fort The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift hi ...

at Al-Jahra which was defended by fifteen hundred men. The fort was besieged and the Kuwaiti position became precarious; had the fort fallen, Kuwait would likely have been incorporated into Ibn Saud's empire. During the battle, reinforcements from Kuwait City arrived by sea, and combat support was also provided by the Sheikhs of the

Shammar The tribe of Shammar ( ar, شَمَّر, Šammar) is a tribal Arab Qahtan confederation, descended from the Yemeni tribe of Tayy as they originated in Yemen before migrating into present day Saudi Arabia, It is the biggest branch of Tayy tribe. I ...

; who arrived overland. The Ikhwan attack repulsed for a while as negotiations began between Salim and Al-Dawish; 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.

References

History of Kuwait 1920 in Asia

Jahra Al Jahra ( ar, الجهراء) is a town and city located west of the centre of Kuwait City in Kuwait. Al Jahra is the capital of the Al Jahra Governorate of Kuwait as well as the surrounding Al Jahra District which is agriculturally based. Encyc ...

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