'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎36r] (76/610)

The agreement made in August 1918 between the Jangalls Anglo-Persian
and the British commander at Rasht was still in force, but the againstTanga-
Jangalis had disregarded, latterly, the stipulation that they Us 1919.
must not have aimed parties on the Kazvln road. It was also
considered that the agreement was a local arrangement between
the parties in course of the war, and could not be indefinitely
continued by His Majesty’s Government with a Persian subject
in open rebellion against his Government. The Jangalls were
notified on March 24th of the abrogation of the agreement, and
were informed that unless they returned to their allegiance they
would lose the sympathy of the British Government Kuchik
Khan was offered, as an alternative, asylum, under British pro
tection, in Mesopotamia.
These conditions were accepted by HajI Ahmad, a Jangali
Leader, who surrendered with 500 rifles, but not by Kuchik
Khan, and the town of Rasht was occupied by British troops on
March 29th. In the course of the next few weeks the Jangalis
were broken up by the Cossacks into scattered bands of fugitives.
Doctor Hashmat, a noted leader, was captured and executed.
But Kuchik Khan escaped, and remained in hiding for some
months, when he was able gradually to collect a new band and
regain much of his former influence in the province—for the
Persian Government failed to grant fair relief to the down
trodden peasantry, who were saddled not only with the old
exactions but also with an ill-disciplined and rapacious Cossack
garrison.
East Persia enjoyed a period of comparative tranquillity Ia Easfc Persia '
during the autumn of 1918, as the forces of General Malleson
protected the frontiers, whilst operating in Transcaspia in
support of the provisional government formed at Ashkabad.
Merv was occupied by British troops on November 9th; but
toward the end of the year the enemy pressure became much
stronger, and they were gradually withdrawn to the Persian
frontier to guard Khorasan against the constantly increasing
Bolshevik menace. During the first half of 1919 there was
some anxiety least the presence of General Malleson’s force
should involve Persia in the Afghan war with British India;
but nothing more serious occurred than more frequent tribal
raids than usual into Kainat and Sistan, where the Sistan levies
did well against the marauders. The Persian Government had
been warned, from time to time, that General Malleson could
not be retained indefinitely in Khorasan, and, in the spring of
1920 they were informed that the force would be withdrawn in
the early* autumn.
* The withdrawal was postponed until the spring of 1921.