Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎339v] (678/749)

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Internal Security.
Kurdistan.
8. According to consular sources the operations in Kurdistan are not going
so well as the General Staff would have the public believe. General Hushmand
Afshar’s road turns out to be but a fair weather track roughly completed only as
far as Rezab. The Persian forces have not yet succeeded in capturing Dizli and
there is little prospect of any result being achieved before winter sets in. General
Humayuni, the newly-appointed commander of the Senneh Division, is far from
enthusiastic about his task. He stated to the British Military Attache that,
as far as he could see, there was no objective the gaining of which would achieve
any finality. As for disarmament, that was only possible if the Kurds stayed
to be disarmed, whereas at this moment there were no Kurds within striking
distance of the Persian army columns as they had either fled across the Iraqi
border or had split into small parties in the inaccessible mountains. Winter would
force the Persian army to fall back to its permanent garrisons before it forced
the Kurds to return to their villages. General Humayuni gave the infantry
strength of the forces now deployed as, Saqqiz one battalion, Banch two battalions,
Merivan two battalions, Avroman nine battalions, Sardasht one battalion and
one battalion on the L. of C. near the Garan Pass. He hinted that a mixed
commission with representatives of other ministries might visit the area soon
and try to effect a settlement.
Khorasan.
9. No very recent news of the mutiny has been received. A party of 100
gendarmes proceeding from Bujnurd to Gunbad-i-Qabus to round up' Colonel
Nawai’s band of mutineers was turned back by the Russians. Ali Mansur, the
Governor-General, has arrived in Tehran. In Meshed it is thought that he will
not return.
C ommunications.
10. Neither in the recent discussions about the disposal of British military
assets nor in the previous negotiations regarding the handing back of the
I.S. Railway to the Persian Government for operation was any mention made
of the Zahidan—Mirjawa section of the Indian N.W\ Railway. The reason,
probably, was that neither the construction nor the operation of this line had
put the Persian Government to any expense. It is, however, a matter which
must come up for discussion before the expiry of the treaty period.
Appointments.
11- ‘(i) Saifullah Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. to be Governor-General of Mazanderan;
(n) Naukhuda III (Lieut.-Commander) Sultan Muhammad Ardelan to be
Assistant Military [sic] Attache at Washington;
(iii) Sartip Ibrahim Muizzi to be Commander Khwash Brigade;
(iv) Sarhang Azizi to be General Officer Commanding 7th Kerman Division
vice Sartip Sha’ri recalled;
(v) Sartip Ghulam Hussein Naqdi (Judge Advocate-General) is placed
en dispombihte; r
(vi) Musa Nuri Isfandiari, Muwaffaq-us-Saltaneh (F.O. 100) to be Persian
Ambassador in Angora;
(vii) The appointment of Mehdi Farrukh, Mutasam-us-Salteneh (F O 61
M.A. 85) as Governor-General of Eastern Azerbaijan had been announced in'thc
press some weeks previously. The appointment would now appear to have been
confirmed as a press report states that the Cabinet have agreed to the demand c
e j b I k armkh aS a “ndition of his acceptance of the post. These demand'
included the provision of funds for the extension of the railway from Mimeh
to Tabriz and for road construction. He also secured the Cabinet’s annroval of
the appointment of his nominee Muhammad Wali Nuban as Deputy Governor
General and Governor of Tabriz. J
T 12. The text of the single article bill referred to in Intelligence <himm
*o. 36, paragraphs 1 and 23, is reproduced as an appendix to this summar
13. One more Persian army officer, a captain on the staff of the Offic
Training College, deserted during the week and is said to have left Tehran
join the band of mutineers still at large in Mazanderan. 411