'Military report on Iraq. Area 9 (Central Kurdistan)' [‎9v] (23/394)

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to Hamadan. Here they were taken in hand by the British
authorities and sent on to Baqubah, where a refugee camp was
prepared for them.
On the victory of the Allies in 1918 there were thus two distinct
problems to be considered in connection with the Christians, both
concerned almost solely with Central and Northern Kurdistan :
firstly, what reparation could be made to the Armenians ; and,
secondly, what measures could be taken to repatriate the
Assyrians. The Armenians embarrassed the issue of the first
question by talking openly of their high hopes for the formation
of an Armenian state comprising an area variously defined, but
not infrequently including the six Anatolian Vilayets in which
Armenians are or were, previous to 1915, to be found, viz., Sivas,
Erzerum, Kharput, Diarbekr, Bitlis and Van. The Kurds, who
are in overwhelming majority in these districts, took alarm, and
the strong nationalist sentiments which already existed among
them were enhanced by the fear that the Western Powers con
templated putting them under the yoke of the despised Armenians.
This fear made Kurdistan a favourable theatre for Turkish
propaganda, and during the long and disastrous delay which
occurred between the armistice and the conclusion of peace with
Turkey, the latter had full opportunity to exploit the advantage
offered by local conditions.
Thus in our dealings with the Kurds we found gradually
arrayed against us a series of formidable prejudices, pan-Islamism
stirred from Constantinople, racial pride, cupidity, and the
arrogance of the Kurdish Agha, who feared the possibility of a
strong European control far more than he feared the Turks.
1919.— Pro-Turkish and anti-Christian Propaganda—Rising of
the Goyan Tribe—Disorders at Amadia and Aqra.
In the north-western corner of the Mosul Vilayet pro-Turkish
and anti-Christian intrigue began to meet with considerable
success ; the position of the Christian villages between Zakho
and Jazirat-ibn-Omar became one of considerable danger, while
in some cases anti-Christian disturbances actually took place.
On 19th March letters were intercepted from Abdul Rahman Agha,
chief of the Shernakh Kurds, north-east of Jazirat-ibn-Omar’
urging the expulsion of foreigners, and stating that the movement
had the support of the Turkish Government, whose efforts were
being seconded by individuals and committees in Constantinople
and Cairo, working for an independent Kurdish state.
The local centres of the evil were Jazirat-ibn-Omar and
bhernakh, both of which have been noted for anti-Christian
feeling in the past, and were conveniently placed for any movement
supported by the Turks. The actual instruments were the
Goyan, an unruly and turbulent tribe, situated for the most part
just outside our administrative area, to the north of Zakho.