Levi Forces: A Study of the British Strategy in Iraq (1915-1920)

Taha Yassin, Yassin

	Levi Forces: A Study of the British Strategy in Iraq (1915-1920)
مجلة آداب البصرة
Article 10, Volume 8, Issue 60, 2012, Pages 139-160 PDF (0 K)
Author
Yassin Taha Yassin
Abstract
Britain's interest in the Middle East increased during the 19th. C and the 20th. C. for the strategic and commercial matters. The increase of the population of the countries which competed with it caused a problem regarding the vastness of its colonies. When the World War I broke out, Britain faced a logistic problem found in the technique of controlling the Indian Army. Therefore, it directed its strategies to maintain its authority over the top of the Arab Gulf and Iran. To secure its political and military status, it deemed to gain loyalty of the rulers of that region before the war broke out so as to support its military operations during the war. When the World War I broke out, Britain was able to possess the military Ottomans actions achieved by the declaration of the recruitment of all the ranks and files as well as the tribal support to win the battle at early stages. It was also able to persuade the Iraqi tribes to form the Levi forces. Thus it formed those forces from those tribes, though it had first faced difficulties due to those tribes' refusal at the beginning. Building the first forces came out in 1915 in Nassiriya and Omara to undertake the missions of guarding. After having occupied southern Iraq, the missions of those forces were enlarged and collecting the returns, accompanying the prisoners, destroying the forts were added to them. As a result of the military developments which Britain in 1917 after occupying Baghdad, the number of the Levi forces in creased .Those forces were divided into two types : infantry and horsemen . the forces increased till the end of the war and it got to about 20 thousand recruits in all Iraqi cities . After the end of the world war I,the levi forces became under the control of the British civil Administration in carrying out their administrative duties led by British officers .when the military actions in the North of Iraq by the Kurdsinl 1919 , the Levi platoons played a vital role in backing the Military British units in their movement the role rose in 1920 revolution . They wene able to lessen the pressure on the British military in several sites in the north middle and south of Iraq .
Keywords
Levi Forces; A Study of the British Strategy in Iraq

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