Invasions of Kuwait (1793-1808)

The Invasions of Kuwait (1793-1808) or the Wahhabi-Kuwaiti war (1793-1808) was an armed Conflict which Saw that the Wahhabis trying to subjugate and Raid Kuwait after the Saudis seized the possessions of the Bani Khalid that they would lay claim to Kuwait

Background

Kuwait did not come into direct contact with the First Saudi State until the late 18th century, after the Wahhabis had succeeded in eliminating the power of the Bani Khalid. Kuwait received refugees from the princes of Bani Khalid, as Zaid bin Uray'ir and his brothers and followers sought refuge in Kuwait after he was expelled from power in (1793) The increasing Wahhabi attacks on the Emirate of Bani Khalid in eastern Arabia weakened its power to the point where it could no longer wage war. The independent political power of the Bani Khalid princes ended in 1204 AH/1789 CE following the Battle of Ghurimel This opened the way for the Saudis to reach the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Utub emirates, including Kuwait.The Wahhabis were well aware of the considerable wealth in the Utub cities due to their thriving maritime trade. Whatever the motives behind the Wahhabi attack on eastern Arabia, seizing the wealth of the Utub, who were by no means Wahhabis, would not have harmed them Kuwait, however, did not enter the armed conflict with Diriyah because of the support the Bani Khalid rulers against the Wahhabis although it continued to receive refugees from the Bani Khalid princes

The Conflict

The first spark of the conflict was the Ibn Ufaisan's Invasion (1793) in 1793 when Ibrahim ibn Afaysan invaded Kuwait with a group from the tribes of Al-Kharj, Al-Aridh, and Sudair He rolled up his sleeves to hasten his march until he reached the town of Kuwait after the night had passed. He camped there to prepare his forces. The darkness had not yet lifted until he had finished those tasks, arranged the army and the ambush. Then, after dawn When the people of Kuwait learned of this, they marched out to meet him in large numbers Saudi cavalry raided. The fighters of the town came out together and skirmished with the Saudi,Then after that, the ambush appeared on them A battle ensued between the two sides resulting in the death of thirty Kuwaiti men. Ibn Afaysan seized their weapons and livestock then The Kuwaitis turned and fled, and hastened towards the town the Wahhabis return to their lands victorious, and with the money and the reward Ibn Ghannam mentioned that among the spoils acquired by the Wahhabis were famous and valuable weapon's

The Wahhabi attacks did not cease after the 1793 raid and that they frequently appeared in the vicinity or on the outskirts of Kuwait, causing panic and fear. The city lacked adequate defenses, surrounded by a mud wall that crumbled during the rains, terrifying the inhabitants. Generally, the repeated Wahhabi raids resulted only in the deployment of a group of 10-12 Bedouins around the wells they had seized The city's flanking riflemen would then drive them out after a brief skirmish with no casualties

As for the second raid, it was led by Manna Abu Rajlain against Kuwait in (1798) after he was ordered by Abdulaziz bin Mohammed They raided the outskirts of the city and seized many sheep. The people of Kuwait came out to confront them in large numbers, but the raiders had laid ambushes After the fighting broke out about 20 of the Kuwaitis were killed and weapons were captured this was a considered a significant success for a Small Wahhabi Force Kuwait retaliated with a campaign led by Mishari bin Abdullah Al Hussein against the tribes loyal to theSaudi state but it was abandoned after its leader was killed in battle

The people of Kuwait cooperated with the campaign of Sheikh Thuwaini bin Abdullah Al-Saadoun leader of the Muntafiq tribe, which he launched a campaign against the Saudis in 1797. He camped in Jahra for three months until his armies, which poured in from Kuwait, Bahrain, and Zubair, were complete. After that, he divided his army so that part of it would travel on Kuwaiti ships to Qatif carrying ammunition and supplies while he marched with the rest of his army to Al-Ahsa However, the campaign failed before it even began due to the assassination of Thuwayni al-Sa'dun in al-Shabak, al-Hasa

In 1804 Saud bin abdulaziz led a military campaign against Kuwait and the Wahhabis Defeated the Kuwaitis in al Ahmer Killing the leader Khalid al haram the Wahhabis were Raiding and, pillaging every town and Village in Kuwait and Forced Kuwait to pay tribute to the Saudi Wahhabis after they Went back to najd

when the Wahhabis intended to raid Baghdad, Prince Saud demanded that the Sheikh of Kuwait pay them tribute. Sheikh Abdullah refused, so in July 1223 AH/1808 CE, Saud dispatched an army of 4,000 men to besiege Kuwait City and force them to pay. However, his campaign failed. As a result, Sulayman Pasha, the governor of Baghdad, sent gifts to the Sheikh of Kuwait in recognition of his firm stance against the Wahhabis The Wahhabis attempted to incite Sultan bin Saqr, the Sheikh of the Qawasim, and Said al-Busaidi, the Sultan of Oman, to send their fleets to fight Kuwait. They even went so far as to try to force the Utub of Bahrain and Zubarah to participate in the campaign However, this mission failed because both Said and Sultan refused to undertake it, and the exact reason for their refusal is unknown

In 1809 a Saudi Campaign led by Mansour Al-Asfari A fierce tribal leader from the Al-Asfar clan of central Najd, who early on pledged allegiance to the Diriyah alliance attacked Kuwait, by land and Sea In al jabriya near Kuwait City and Harbor The Kuwaitis Was defended and led by Captain Hamad bin Saif Al-Marzouq Also, has known Amir al-Bahr (Commander of the Sea) the battle W as intense in which both sides suffered heavy losses in ships and lives but the Kuwaitis Were defeated Because Wahhabis Manage To outflank them And take their weapons and ships and cannons

In 1226 AH/1811 CE, Imam Saud bin Abdul Aziz wrote to Rahma bin Jaber in Qatar, ordering him to prepare to invade Bahrain. He was hostile to the Al Khalifa rulers of Bahrain. The Imam sent him an army from Najd, Al-Ahsa, and Qatif, and they amassed 60 ships of varying sizes. When Abdullah bin Ahmed, the ruler of Bahrain, learned of this, he sent a message to the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Abdullah bin Sabah,seeking his support. The Emir sent him ships, and their combined fleet reached 200 vessels. The Bahrainis intended to fight Rahma bin Jaber, Abu Hussein, the Emir of Al-Huwayla in Qatar, and Ibrahim bin Afaysan, Ibn Saud's agent who had been expelled from Bahrain. When Rahma bin Jaber saw how the Bahraini fleet was preparing for battle, he knew it was under the command of Abdullah bin Ahmed, the brother of Sheikh Salman. He wanted to refrain from attacking, knowing Sheikh Abdullah's skill in managing naval battles. However, Ibn Afaysan, the Emir of Bahrain appointed by the Saudi state and who had lost his emirate, stirred his zeal. The two fleets clashed in a fierce battle in Rabi'al-Awwal 1226 AH/1811 CE at a place near Bahrain called Khakikra. They fought fiercely, and 1,000 men from Bahrain and Kuwait were killed, including Du'aij bin Sabah Al Sabah and Rashid bin Abdullah Al Fadil. 300 of Rahma bin Jaber Al Jalhami's followers were killed, including Abu Hussein, the Emir of Al Huwayla Rahma bin Jaber Al Jalhami was defeated because it was impossible to recapture the city with his small number especially since the First Saudi State was preoccupied with the Hijaz front to the far west, which had been ignited by the landing of Ottoman armies on the coast of Yanbu

Aftermath

though Kuwait kept its political autonomy throughout the war it's suffered heavy casualties it's land power was Severely weakened by the Wahhabis even as it remained within the sphere of Saudi influence and repeated Saudi campaigns in eastern Arabia Kuwait and Saudis demonstration mobility and desert warfare tactics, rather than a full-scale occupation attempt. Nevertheless, it signaled the beginning of sustained pressure on Kuwait and the surrounding frontier In the years that followed, Saudi incursions into the region continued intermittently. Raids near Kuwait's outskirts created persistent insecurity, as small mobile groups operated around wells and grazing areas, disrupting local stability. Although these

See Also

• Ottoman-Wahhabi war
• the First Saudi State
• Ibn Ufaisan's Invasion (1793)