File 36/1919 Pt 3 ‘KURDISTAN POLICY & SITUATION’ [‎170v] (355/608)

the- quarrell betweem Parish A^liat of Zibw andl Sliaiktii Ahmadl oft Bimzam seems, to Haw been!
adtjustedl temporarily. Agents .firomi Syriai were- engaged! att ttie- same.- time. 1 im disseminating
' dbetrines to' whiehi the AgHas turnedl ai fiavouraftlb' ear,, tor t’Hey offteredl ttie- prospect off ai distant
and! ineffective Mamie control 1 , undlsr which) the Aghas wouldl be left with) the-real! auttiority,,
but! the tribal! cultivators who) would! be forced! to'remain) im compMe subjugation) to> ttieur chiefe
' did! not appear to> view the matter im the' same- lightl ^
Golbneil Leachmam had! beem shcceedbd! as Political! ©fficer at Mbsul! by Golbnell Biill wit®
combined! Ibng', experience with) singular capacity as, am adininistrator. Bfeingi new ton the-division
he wished! t0» make himsefft personally, acquainted! with) it, with) ai special! view to) forming eonclusions
on the Kurdislt question Mfe visited! “Aqrahi at the end! off ©btober, imposed! aifine oniFaris
Aghat and! a second! Zibari chief,. Babakr Agha^. the fo I lowers, oft both) having sniped! oun gendarmerie-,,
and! on November list crossed! the-/Mir ini ordler to'inspect the- Ibviea oft ai Ibcall chief.. The ttw®
kbaris,, enraged! at having been cailbdl to> ordler and! ftnedi, communicatodl with) Shaikh Mnradl
of Barzam who' sent his brother with) some- twenty men to) .their- assistance:. These with Faris,.
B’abakr,. and! their fbllbwers, amounting! in ail! to) about at hundbedl menp ambushed! the retuniTOg
British'’©tlcers clbse to' Bira Kaprav Bhbakr’s vi-llhge and! shot theme They were- aceompainedi
by four gendhrmes>. two> were killbdi. one of these was an Assyrian;, ttie- other- an' Aqpih mam wk®
tried! to' defend! Ms; officers'. The other two* were- Zibaris-, and! went over-to) the enemy.. All!
evidence goes to) show that the- murdbr of the two. British) ©fftcers was, not phnnedi heforeliaad!
but was- dde- to 1 one of the- suddlem fits of anger which) are typical! of I&irdish) temperameit,. Uflitt
once- accompli shed! it gave- the signal! for rebellion.. The- Zbaris and! BhrzaoiS' attacked! and! Iboted!
Aqrafi),. and! the Btifieh gendhrmerie- officer with) difficulty escaped! to) MIosull. Within at day oti
- two' the- tribes quarrelled! among themsellves over' the Ibott,. and! the-BhrzaniS'went home. Severaill
I of the Ibcall tribes sent us- offers, of help' and! protests of friendlship' andl when;, on Kovemto' %
•Captain Kirk v Assistant Pbiiticall ©fifteen,, at Btitae ('Rbwandfi//)) madie-hie way into)" Aqrahi accoimv
pained! only by Kurdish) Ibvies,. lie 1 found! the- townsmen praying for- die return off the Btifeli)
adiniuistration. ©tr the-arrival! of ai punitive Gohnnni in die ZaUe vallby most of the villages fiievr
wMte - flags, and! appeared! to' be in gen uine- fear of tlieir aghaS' andl to) welcome protectioni against
theiiC ‘
©hr troops, burnt the houses of the- Ziifow chiefs' and! crossing the- Zakr inflicted! die same penalty
on B’arzan;. but foilbwing the; praedee enjoined! on diem in die-Aniadiyafii expedition;, die villkggus
were not moiestedl The rebels were- unaibife- to- rouse' the neighbouring tribes;, llargelly. owing t®
the royalty to) us, ©6 the-feuding man near “ Aqrahy ‘ Abdfill ^Udir-Agjiai of Sliusliy andl no) nesistamee
was offered! to' our advance ;; the four cuirprits,. Paris andl Btibaltr of Zibar,. Shaikh) Ahmad! off
Bar/am and! Mis brother,, escaped! into) the MUlls and! were- outlhwedl. Nfo> sympathetic' distuiiftajme
took place in Amadiyahi and! Siadyiid! T'aho) of Shetnsdinum refused! to) listen to) the- suggestion) off
the Qadmmaqami of Meriy where- die- Turks kept ai smalll garrison;, diat lie andl Situi of ©tamair
should! co-operate- on behadlfi of the- Zibaris-.. His, attitudle- eansedl die (Qaimmaqgrai uneasikmess, as
to' Ms- own safety andl hie- left Bferii andl retiredl north) fc©> Bksliqail'ahi. Wlien operatfons) wene
conclludledl it was- dlecidfedl diat we- shouidl dfaiw in our frontier to) "Aqpalii andl make no) fndllkr
attempt to' hold! the Zrbar country between " Aqpalii andl the Zabv
Thus by the endl of the year we had! ceasedl to) adininister the- mountain bordlers of nmifccM
Kurdistany so> fair as we liadl engaged! in that task.. Ffom UtowqndluK'. die- Biiitislii outpost liai
beeir removed! some eighteen mile® south-west to' IB’otas;; thence- the- line- rami to' " Aqiitahi and! IDfeftraft*
j exefudling the- mountain system) whichi flhnlte the- right bank of the- (Greater- Zalb) and! Iteavmg
Amadliyahi andl Zibar" ©utsidle- our zone-. ©Xir" arrival! in the- first instance- liadl been iim every ease
welcome because we* providledl means to) combat the- ruin andl fianmue Heft by the Turks. We
distributed! relief with) comp-fete- inupartiality to' MosHem® aardl Cliristiaius madl it is, prdbafelle
that the- liefp) we extendledl saved! what remained! of the- agiiiculfurall popullatiom. But we madle
no 1 secret of our intention t©> repatriate- the- Christian refugees wlio) liadl sought our- protection) and!
were eonbmualUly pressing ©n us theiir dlesire- to return to) tlieiar homey and! this just d’esigui fiurimisftrf
die- subject matter of the- propagmdiai direcfedl :ig,rinst us.. That we- could! have avottiledl rousing
the- hostility of the- agliawat was, from) the- first iunpossiblle-.. ‘"'The- position off the- average Kurdish
agliui” observed! Colfonef NoUd'er in comnnenting on die- Zbarii rising. in incotnpaitiblle witi)
our- own or any other government. Life- a feudbll baron off die- Miiddlile- Ages,. Ite keeps a body
•off armed! retainers andl tyrannizes over the- cultivators- at his will. The- llandls owned! toy Faariis
A^ia and! his brother' would! not assure thenn aim income- or M’s l!,©00)a year:: dierir wealMn dkpeudls
entirefy on extortion fromi the-villages andl their inffllnenee-from the-fiaet that they spemM the uiiiomey
thus acquired! hr maintaining the- aitnued! toandls which) enforce- their authority.. Stachi imen cauwet
but view the adivent of any form off setttltedl government witto coneern, and! when to this prejpdfe
■antii-Cltoiisriaini sentumemts and! extensive Turkish) propagamdb are- adldledl. the- present fieefag «
the- borefer of northern) Kurdfotam is sniieientlly expllainedi
The- jnstfee- off ttois diescription receives further proof from the- existing state- off aiiaiiiirs m
southern Kurdistan. SHiaikto Mahnnadl’s rebellion lied! to> the- elrmimation off am authority wife*
exaetlly correspomdle-d! with) Cbllouell Malldler’s smnniairy.. The- population off SuiMtmaniyailhi dstrid
hm& shown no mm off regretting him an# the- country is fladir% estalblislhedl iim the- padt off
peiaty ,, wher eas, in northern Kurdliistam,. wher e- the- aghnwat have- beaten the- adb«misteati©ray mwchy
prevail)®. Besudles Snlbiinaniyah the- Arbiil) pfaim presents another- satMactory feature-.. The district,
wkehi ns easilly aecessiMe- from Mosul,, is; not at the mercy off chiefftaiins' who) require rauomitain
stirongholldls ffro'in which) t©) conduct ©portions with) safiety. The people- valuue aidinimisllirative
uiniom with the more civifeed valley off the Tigris-,, and have- no. wish) to) ferimimate a cwmcction
wntlh Mosul and Baghdad which is equally profitable to either party.. Arbilly. indluidirag Kew
Sarajiaq and Mania,, has been given the status; off a Division..
.. Where we have failed,, and alls©) where we have succeeded,, it is improbable that any Krardi*
prince, who from Hong residence outside Knnrdistan may toe expected to have acquired emlfeW-
■emment,, could estatollish himself without strong foreign support. The facts of' afosemce »d o