While the decision of the Iraqi government to establish a police presence in the desert between Iraq and Ibn Saud's domains had some justification, in terms of protecting innocent shepherds from Ikhwan attack, it was in direct contravention of the agreement Ibn Saud had reached with Sir Percy Cox at Uqair which had designated the desert between Ibn Saud's domains and Iraq as neutral territory which neither side should occupy or fortify.
Ibn Saud considered the building of a police post contravened this agreement, and was not persuaded by the British who argued that a police post was not a military installation and that, in any case, the Wells of Busaiya, being located some 80 miles inside Iraqi territory, were far from the border region.
Faisal Ad-Dawish, a prominent Ikhwan leader and chief of the Mutair tribe, was not prepared to wait for the outcome of Ibn Saud's official protest. Taking matters into his own hands, Faisal Ad-Dawish launched a dawn raid against the half-built police post at the Wells of Busaiya. All six policemen sent to man the post and eleven of the twelve workmen were killed; and the twelfth was left for dead.
In the succeeding weeks Faisal Ad-Dawish took every opportunity to assert the right of the Ikhwan to ride, to raid and to kill wherever they liked throughout the north Arabian desert.