'Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Political Residency for the Years 1915-1919' [‎98r] (202/396)

POR THE TEAB 1917. ^3
Khan fell: this infuriated Mirza Khan, and during the course of the subset
quentfevd both he and Islam Khan were killed. The only result of these
events was to strengthen Bahram Khan, who was thus left in undisturbed
enjoyment of the Bam pur revenues and also practically the independent
Governor of the district. 1
I
The chief trade routes to Kerman, in the order of their importance.
Condition of Roads.
(1) From Bandar Abbas; via Eudbar-Jiruft in winter and Daulatabad-
Baft in summer.
(2) From Tehran via Yezd.
(3) From Khorasan, usually via Naiband in the Lut.
(4) From Bam and JS T armashir.
"With the exception of (2), there was very little robbery within Kerman
borders on any of these roads during the year. In the spring tbe Baharlus
showed signs of activity on the Daulatabad-Baft road but the organization by
the South Persia Eifles of levies at Baft with posts at dangerous points along
the route soon put a stop to it. The levies at the latter posts were abolished
later in the year, but by that time the organization of the Saidabad-Tarum
route further east, forming a kind of cordon against the robber tribes of Fars,
had its effect in defending both the Paulatabad and the Jiruft route against
attack from that direction. Only one robbery on the Khorasan road, C that
of a large Birjand caravan at Haur, in February, by Pai Qalehis and Shehr
Babakis, came to the knowledge of His Majesty's Consul.
On the Tehran road, on the other hand, serious robberies by Lashanis,
Tutakis, Chaharrahis, fehahr Babakis, Pai Qalehis, etc., occurred at the rate
of four or five a month until the end of August when successful operations by
the South Persia Eifles put an end to them for the rest of the year. The raids
culminated in the blocking of the road at Darwaza and the Kermanshahan
Pass by two parties of Lashanis, each 200 strong. On 28th August South
Persia Rifles infantry and a squadron of cavalry from Kerman made a rapid
movemem against the Lashanis in co-operation with the Bakhtiari road guards.
Id four actions on the 28th and 29th they inflicted severe blows upon them,
recovering large quantities of transport and loot, killing or wounding about 30
robbers and capturing a considerable number of rifles. A few days later the
South Persia Bifles infantry destroyed Dehaj, the village in the hills above
Anar which the robbers used as their base, and brought the headmen and a
quantity of stolen property into Kerman.
At the beginning of October further operations against the maraudino;
tribes were undertaken by Colonel Farran with one squadron cavalry, one platoon
infantry and one section mountain artillery. The expedition visited Javazm,
Khabr, Marvast, Herat-i-Khurrah and Shahr-i-Babak, at all of which places it
destroyed forts and seized all rifles, ammunition and stolen property found in
them; but none of the robber bands waited to try conclusions with the
South Persia Rifles or oppose their march, and as they had had ample time
to remove themselves and most of their flocks and property out of reach, the
positive results of the expedition were not so marked as those of the August-
September operations.
During the last four months of the year the Tehran road was left severely
alone by the robbers, posts and caravans arrived regularly and even the
Democrats had to admit that the "atrocities and aggressions" of the South
Persia Rifles had had a result most beneficial to Korean.
As- a result of seme five months' agitation on the part of His Majesty's
„ , . Consul, the Kerman-Bandar Abbas postal
Postal Service, . i • i i i i T- t
service, wmcn had been exceedingly
irregular and slotv during the winter, was improved and, by April, was working
^'ith reasonable regularity and despatch, The route used until then went via
Daulatabad and Bait to Saidabad (Sirjan) and thence via Rafsinjan to Kerman.
TMs entailed a considerable detour, and on representations from His Majesty's