'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎19v] (43/470)

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V
Khaniqin District.
1. Political and Tribal.— Following on the occupation of Khaniqin, Major
Soane was posted as Political Officer here in December 1917.
The whole countryside had been ravaged by the Russians and the Turks. Food
supplies in the district were very short, and starvation, especially in the town, was
acute. At the time of our occupation, only about one-third of the population of the
district still remained, the majority having fled to escape the oppression from which
they were suffering. Our arrival was hailed with relief, and the population soon
began to return.
The prevailing distress was accentuated owing to the fact that the tribes in the
northern part of the district, unaccustomed to any sort of control, were raiding the
roads and preventing arrival of supplies of grain and sheep into the district.
Disturbances, apart from those that might be considered as purely hostile
demonstrations, became so frequent that Major Soane advocated the formation of
a Kurdish levy.
It was found that the Bajlan and Juran tribes had removed and destroyed a
great part of the machinery of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company at Ohah Surkh oil
wells.
During January, relations with the Kurdish tribes on the frontiers of Persia,
north of Khaniqin, continued to be unsatisfactory. The Sinjabis and the Guran,
under the leadership of ‘Ali Akbar Khan Sinjabi, who maintained constant inter
course with German agents, continued to prevent the passage of supplies to
Khaniqin.
The treatment meted out to the Kurds by the Russian Army of occupation in
Khaniqin had a far-reaching effect, and placed in the hands of the Turks and German
agents a weapon, of which they were quick to make use. This, combined with a lack
of confidence as to our permanent intentions, hampered political work in every
direction. In the latter part of January, negotiations were established with the
Sinjabis, as the result of which they gave assurances that they would protect the
frontier road, allowing no Germans or Turks to pass through their country, and that
they would not furnish the enemy with supplies.
At the end of January, distress was so acute that maize and barley were sellino’
at Rs. 2,000 a ton.
The Persian Democrat, Sulaiman Mirza, was living with ‘Ali Akbar Khan, and
was exercising a particular!}^ harmful influence. At the beginning of February, he
was arrested by a British column from Khaniqin and sent to Baghdad. At the same
time, German agents, accompanied by Turkish troops, were on the Quraitu River,
20 miles north of Khaniqin, and were buying up any supplies that came across the
Persian border. There were several collisions between them and our Kurdish
Irregulars.
During February it was found that the Sinjabis were not keeping to the arrange
ments made, but were daily supplying the Turks with food and committing acts°of
brigandage in Occupied Territory close to Khaniqin.
The arrest of Sulaiman Mirza resulted in the retirement of ‘Ali Akbar Khan to
Hajilar, where he was intriguing with the German, von Drueffel, to get the Sinjabi
and kindred tribes armed with rifles. In order to check the activities of von Drueffel
and his agents, the posts at Qarah Bulaq and Kani Chaqul were bombed at the end
of February.
At the beginning of March, the Kalhurs, who were wintering in the area between
Kani Masi and Makatu, attacked one of our survey parties. Our Kurdish Irregulars
accompanied by cavalry, were despatched, and the Kalhurs were attacked and
severely punished.
The efforts of German agents with the Sinjabis became very active during March
and resulted in a combined conference of the Sinjabis and Kalkhanis and other
tribes, who were said to have agreed to take sides against the British.
However, in April a great change came over the political horizon. Supported
by a column of our troops, the Kalkhanis and Kalhurs attacked the Sinjabis and
thoroughly looted them. ‘Ali Akbar Khan was wounded and fled.
Events were also moving quickly in Khaniqin, as, a few days later, a column to
which were attached the Kurdish Irregulars under Major Goldsmith moved out
along the Sirwan River and cleared the country of Turks and Germans in the northern
part of Khaniqin district and right bank of the Sirwan.