Persian Gulf Command: A History of the Second World War in Iran and Iraq by Ashley Jackson

Author:Ashley Jackson [Jackson, Ashley]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: 20th Century, Asia, History, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Military, World War II
ISBN: 9780300221961
Google: CclIswEACAAJ
Amazon: B07DVL2PX1
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2018-05-15T03:00:00+00:00

Crimes committed by allied forces

Criminal activity cut both ways, and documented in the archives are complaints from local authorities to the British representatives in Baghdad and Tehran. In Iraq there were ‘complaints from the mutasarrif of vandalism at Hit and Anah by our troops’.85 Also in Iraq, four British imperial soldiers were accused of rape in December 1941. Three were court-martialled. One turned king’s evidence, and the other two were convicted and sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment each.86 In the same month the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote to the British legation regarding the alleged murder by British troops of Shahab ibn Ahmad al-Khalaf from Albu Mahal. While watering his camels, al-Khalaf had been frightened by the approach of military vehicles carrying troops. He feared that they would try to confiscate a pair of German rifles in his possession, and so ran away towards the desert, and was shot while doing so.87 Formal complaints were made regarding assaults on Bedouin women by Indian soldiers and clashes between Gurkhas and shepherds of the Nidda tribe near Naft Khol.88 A representation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that five nomad dwellings were set upon by Sikh soldiers near Abila, as the nomads were seeking a watering place for their livestock.89 In Basra, meanwhile, British soldiers entered the premises of Messrs Spinney and Company, a British business, and stole cigarettes and alcohol.90 Incidents of looting by forces under British command were recorded in Basra and Fallujah during the Anglo-Iraqi war. In Tehran, British soldiers broke into the German legation ‘and smashed several portraits and removed a bust of Hitler and a flag,’ wrote Bullard. This was to be regretted, he continued, as Soviet troops are not allowed to enter the town ‘and appear to the public to be under better discipline’.91

As time passed, America’s image became tarnished, as everyday frictions between soldiers and civilians took their toll. The American legation in Tehran constantly complained to the military authorities about the damage being done to the country’s reputation by poorly behaved GIs. Fearing that this not only damaged America’s reputation but also contributed to a growing Iranian tendency to classify America alongside the other allied powers – as occupiers, not friends – the matter was raised with the State Department and the War Department.92 American troops were an ‘ever present source of friction,’ complained the legation chief. This despite the efforts of American military authorities to keep soldiers out of Tehran by building barracks on its outskirts. The problem was compounded by the fact that the very presence of American troops in Iran was a source of contention. The Iranian parliament asserted that American forces were ‘here without consent or permission’, amounting to a breach of sovereignty. This was because they had been brought in under the auspices of the British, rather than as a result of an agreement between the American and Iranian governments. In the opinion of the Iranian prime minister, the American military presence violated international law.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.