Coll 28/36 ‘Army & Air Force: Condition of; Manoeuvres; Foreign Advisers; Conscription Law.’ [‎129v] (258/295)

each regiment of the Central Garrison, was sent to reinforce the permanent troops
in the area, namely, the Luristan Brigade, whose headquarters are
Khonemaba zander of this brigade, Sarhang Mehdi Quli Khkij Baksh, was
superseded and Sarhamr Haji Ali Khan, Razm Ara, commanc mg ie
Kermanshah ReaiB«?fIVwas appointed to succeed him. - r<o ,. ^
A detaehmBnt from Isfahan is also said to have taken part in the operation
The total number of troops employed was approximately 7 , 000 , under tne
command of Sartip Murteza Khan, and Sipah Bod (Marshal) Ashmed Ag la x a
was in chief control, civil and military, of the whole area, , ,
Certain sources state that as many as thirteen aircraft are being employed,
based on Khorremabad, and that two or three of these have come to gnet. inese
figures are, however, probably an exaggeration, but five or six aircratt are
certainly at Khorremabad in connexion with these operations, and one or
at A.hwaz. i i
" It is difficult to estimate the number of the rebels, but they mav have been
up to 3,000 under the leadership of Yadullah Khan, Bairanwand, whose father,
Ghulam Ali Khan, had been publicly executed in Khorremabad
The rebels consist very largely of the Bairanwand section, whilst the
important Saigawand are more or less neutral. The Kakawand appear to )e
on the side of the Government, and have to some extent been armed in order that
thev mav assist the regular troops on occasion. •
~ The Lurs have with them a senior ex-officer, Sarhang Gigu. This man, some
two years ago, was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for opium smugg mg
at Hamadan, but escaped from the Qasr Kajar prison and managed to reach
Luristan
The tribesmen were very short of arms and ammunition at the commencement
of the operations, but are reported to have collected sufficient for their present
needs from the conscript soldiers, who show no desire to fight and freely surrender
their arms and equipment. . ,
Sartip Murteza Khan has now returned to Tehran and been given commanc.
of the following troops, which he has orders to equip and prepare as an
expeditionary force presumably to be used as reinforcements against the Lurs.
All sources agree that the creation of this force has no connexion with the Anglo-
Persian Oil Company affair :—
Two regiments of infantry (six battalions).
One regiment of cavalry.
Two batteries of artillery.
These troops were still in Tehran on the 31st December.
Personnel.
Ijanguage Officers.
Two Indian army officers were on language duty in Persia during 1932.
Captain A. Boyes-Cooper was appointed to Tehran and left on the 2nd October
on completion of one year’s study. Captain J. Campbell, who was stationed
in Isfahan, left Persia for India on the 16th November.
P. C. R. DODD, Lieut.-Colonel,
Military Attache.