Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎115v] (230/749)

2
Internal Security.
Kerman Province.
well-known robber tribe of Buchakchis recently made a raid on the
village of Baft, where, it is said, they seized 68 rifles and 4,000 cartridges and
killed a few gendarmes. The raid is said to have been intended as a reprisal for
the arrest of certain Buchakchi robbers.
Pars.
8 . Ihe fighting at Semirum mentioned in last week’s Summary resulted in
the complete overwhelming after three days’ fighting of the Persian garrison,
whose strength is now known to have been about 900. All their arms and stores,
which included rifles, machine guns, mortars and two mountain guns fell into
the hands of the tribesmen in addition to a convoy of about eight lorries carrying
money, personnel and stores, escorted by an armoured car, which was ambushed
on its way to Semirum when the garrison was already surrounded. There is little
doubt that treachery played some part in the disaster to the garrison.
9- The attacking tribesmen were principally from the Boir Ahmadi tribe,
led by Abdullah Zarghampur, one of the tribal chiefs who fled from Tehran in
March 1942 (see Summaries Nos. 11/42, paragraph 9 , and 12/42, paragraph 16)
and has since been to all intents and purposes an outlaw. They were assisted
by some of the Darashuri clan of the Qashgai, but as far as is known to the present
time no other Qashgai clans are involved. Earlier reports that Bakhtiari tribes-j
men took part have not been confirmed by later information. The strength off
the attacking force is estimated by reliable informants as from 1,500 to ^ 4 , 000 .
They were accompanied by an officer deserter from the Persian army, Captain
Alavi, who is strongly suspected of being a German agent. There is also suspicion
that there were Germans with the tribes. The principal motive of the Boir
Ahmadi was, however, probably to seize the opportunity of acquiring rifles and
ammunition.
10 . There was considerable anxiety in the townships of Shah Reza
(Qumisheh) and Abadeh, which lay open to attack by the tribes, and even in
Isfahan itself, where the garrison was reported to be so demoralised as to be
unlikely to be capable of defending the town. No further aggressive action has
yet been taken by the tribesmen and they may be dispersing. Quarrels over the
loot would be a normal sequence to a successful action, but if the Boir Ahmadi
are under the influence of Germans future action cannot be predicted.
must oe expected that this disaster will have a serious effect on the
whole tribal situation in south and south-west Persia. The Persian Government
have not got sufficient troops to undertake the difficult operation necessary against
the Boir Ahmadi, who defied even Reza Shah. They will probablv have to have
recourse to the temporary raising of levies from tribes hostile to the Boir Ahmadi,
an old and proved unsatisfactory expedient which usually results in the
impoverishment of the countryside. These and other measures are now under
consideration. They will inevitably take time. But it is essential that the
I ersian Government should make plain its intention to do something and make
a begmnmg with its measures, otherwise the trouble may spread, possibly
affecting the oilfields and important lines of communication and certainlv
handicapping the collection of the harvest.
12 . Shortly before the occurrence of Semirum, Shahbakhti’s forces had
achieved a minor success against the small forces remaining with Nasir Qasho-ai,
and the latter has asked that an officer should be sent to him to discuss terms
of surrender.
Russian A ffairs.
13. The Russian troops who were reported in Summary No 26 AS
paragraph 18, to have arrived at Mahabad and Bokan, have now left those places
and have returned to Maragheh in the Russian zone.
Tehran, 12th July, 1943.