File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎29r] (66/834)

— 453
Affairs at Kerbela.
The Chief Political Officer, Baghdad, sends the following
statement of the situation at Kerbela in September last.
“Itwill be remembered that the town of Kerbela has suffered
at the hands of the Turks more acutely than any other part of the
Iraq during the course of the war. In May 1915, a month after
the battle of Shu’aibah, the Ottoman Government made an
ineffectual effort to re-establish its somewhat relaxed authority in
the two holy cities, on the plea that they were harbouring
deserters. On that occasion the brunt of the attack was borne
by Nejel ; but Kerbela also succeeded in gaining a partial
independence. The townsmen were led by a local sheikhly
family, the Beit Kamunah, represented by two brothers
Mohammed Ali and Fakhri ed-Din, who are men of very
considerable wealth and influence. They are related to the
ruling house of Persia, their grandmother having been a
daughter of Path Ali Shah. But the position of Kerbela was
still very precarious ; for, though it was for the moment united
against the Turks, it was threatened by the jealousy of the big
tribal sheikhs of the neighbourhood, especially the Beni Hasan
under the two brothers I mran and Alwan, sons of Saadun, who
might at any time join the Turks in an active offensive.
Accordingly, in October 1915, Mohammed Ah entered into
communication with Sir Percy Cox, then at Kut, and after a
preliminary exchange of letters, proposed that we should
undertake to make him hereditary and autonomous ruler of a
sacred province extending from Samarra to Nejef. We were
at the time engaged in the advance which preceded the battle of
Ctesiphon, and it seemed probable that we might shortly be in
close touch with Kerbela. The C.P.O. sent Mohammed Ali a
friendly but colourless answer together with a small present in
money for which he expressed effusive gratitude. There for the
time the matter dropped, our withdrawal from Ctesiphon having
changed the political outlook. We remained, however, in
communication with Mohammed Ah and from time to time
sent him money to assist him in retaining his adherents and
maintaining his position at Kerbela.
In April 191(! the Turks madea second and more determined
effort to subdue Kerbela. Accusing Fakhri ed-Din of having
stirred up the Ansar sheikhs to aid the townsmen against the
Beni Hasan, they surrounded his house and arrested him.
Thereupon the town rose and after a sharp contest drove out the
Turks and established an administration under the Kamunah
brothers. Mohammed Ali, who continued to be in communication
with ourselves, repeatedly expressed his fear of the return of the
Turks and begged for assistance against them. The well-grounded
anxiety of the holy towns continued until the fall of Baghdad.
A few days after that event Mohammed Ali came in to see the
C.P.O. and after a short stay in Baghdad returned home with a