'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎26r] (56/610)

39
European intervention had thus inflicted another disaster on
Persia.
As the Russian ultimatums demanding the dismissal of
Mr. Shuster had been fatal to the financial reforms initiated
in 1911 so Turko-German intrigue and misrepresentations
were responsible for the destruction of the Gendarmerie the
creation of which force, also in 1911, had been the only other
constructive work undertaken during the Constitutional regime.
In December 1915 the Russian troops at Kazvin mustered Operations of
12 000 but the situation was adversely affected by General Russian force*. 5,
Nixon’s reverses in Mesopotamia, and the possibility of the
Turks at Kirmanshah, who numbered about 10,000, being
reinforced.
By January 1916 General Baratoff had driven off hostile
lements beyond the line Tehran-Varamin-Qum-Sultanabad-
Hamadan-Kangavar (on the Hamadan-Rirmanshah road)
and the enemy forces were concentrated at Buruprd and Kir
manshah, whence their line of communications to Baghdad
was unimpeded. The Russian advance was continued, they
placed garrisons at Isfahan, Kashan, Qum, Karaj, Sultanabad,
Ramadan and Burujird and in the early summer of 1916 drove
the Turks down to their Mesopotamian frontier beyond^Qasr-i-
Shirin Thev suffered severely, however, from heat, fatigue, a uss ; ail re tre a t
sickness, dearth of rations and of reinforcements, and in August jjm Kh^ln
when attacked by superior Turkish forces, General Baratott situation of
beat a precipitate retreat from Khaniqin through Kirmanshah summer 1916.
back to the Sultan Bulagh pass near Aveh (or Avaj) 50 miles
North of Ramadan along the road to Kazvin. The Russians
were worn out and would probably have given way before a
Turkish attack, when the road to Kazvin and Tehran would
have been open 1 to the Turks. The Turkish advance however
was spent and General Baratoff obtained rest and reinforce
ments. The Russian line constantly fluctuated, but ^ ran
roughly from Sultanabad through Zarreh or Zarraq (near Saveh
on the Tehran-Hamadan road) Maniyan (on the Ramadan
side of the Sultan Bulagh pass on the Kazvm-Hamadan road)
to Biiar. Amir Afshar, the principal Khan of Khamseh, after
wavering between Turks and Russians had finally baJed the
wrong horse and joined the Turks in Garrus, but the Russians
were in occupation of Khamseh. Kirmanshah, Burujird,
Daulatabad, Ramadan, Bijar and Senneh were under the
»As a precaution the European women and children were at once evacuated
from Tehran to, Enzall.