Situation after Armistice of Mondros, Oct 30,1918

[Guest Tosun Saral]

Iraq: As the armistice was signed within Axis and Turkish Ottoman Empire Iraq was defending by 6th Turkish Army. The units of the army was stationed mostly along rivers Dicle/Tigris and in Firat/Euphrates. The commander of the Army was general Ali Ihsan Pasha. He later get the surmane "Sabis" after the new Turkish Republic's law reforms. As the news of armistice was reached to the AHQ he immediately ordered his units to stop where they are which was withdrawing towards the Turkish mainland. on Oct 30th Musul/Moussol and sarroundings was in Turkish hands. The British Army commander ordered his units to cross the line of armistice on Nov 1st stating that Turks were cruelling the non Turks. British advanced 20 km to south of Musul and occupied Hamamalil. Ali Ihsan Pasha, on the other hand ordered his units not to shoot the advancing British and protested them by remainding to stay within the conditions of the armistice. He also sended a telegrapf to the War Ministry in Istanbul wishing that the British must stop within the armistice conditions. But General Cassel, the commander of British forces ordered this units to move forwards to Musul stating that he got orders to occupy Musul. On Nov 8th a British unit entered Musul and they descended the Turkish flag infront of the govermental building. They draw their Union Jack. On Nov 15th the last non- resisting Turkish soldiers withdrawed from Musul. Ali Ihsan Pasha ordered his units stationed in Deyrizor(Dirisor) and Rakka to Resülayn(to day Ceylanpinar in Turkish national borders) and Telebyaz (Akcakale) For this reason the south of Cizre-Nuseybin-Telebyaz line was left to British witout firing a single bullet. British was not contented with the cheap gains and wanted to occupy the area to Diyarbakir. But they had a hard resistance in that region.

to be continued..