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{{About|1918-22 Simko Shikak revolt in Iran|small-scale uprising led by Simko four years later|1926 Shikak revolt}} |
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{{Infobox Military Conflict |
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|conflict=Simko Shikak Revolt |
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Revision as of 16:48, 12 August 2013
Simko Shikak Revolt | |||||||
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Part of Iranian events of 1921, Kurdish separatism in Iran and Assyrian genocide | |||||||
Simko (center) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Rebels
| |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Seyyed Taha Shamzini |
Amir Ershad Reza Khan Mirpanj | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,000 (early stage) – 5,000 (later stage)[1] 100's Turkish soldiers[2] Turkish mercenaries | 10,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
over 2,000 killed, captured and wounded | 500 killed, captured and wounded | ||||||
Total: 5,000 killed |
Simko Shikak revolt refers to an armed Turkey-backed[2][3] tribal Kurdish uprising against the Qajar dynasty of Iran from 1919-1922, led by Kurdish chieftain Simko Shikak from Turcophone Shekak tribe.[1]
After Brigadier-General Reza Khan, deposed the Qajars in an 1921 coup, he defeated Simko Shikak as well as several prominent rebel commanders such as Kuchik Khan and Colonel Pessian during the Iranian events of 1921. The Shikak rebellion resulted in some 5,000 killed, including many Assyrian civilians, who had been massacred by Simko's forces.[citation needed]
History
Early insurrection and the massacre of Assyrians
In March 1918, under the pretext of meeting for the purpose of cooperation, Simko arranged the assassination of the Assyrian Nestorian patriarch, Mar Shamon, ambushing him and his 150 guards, as Mar Shimon was entering his carriage. The patriarchal ring was stolen at this time and the body of the patriarch was only recovered hours later (Eye-witness Assyrian account of Daniel d-Malik Ismael, published in Tehran 1964).[4][5][6]
After the murder of Mar Shimun, the Hakkari Christians took revenge on the Muslim population of Salmas and most of the villages of Salmas County, while Simko and his men massacred Christians in Khoy. Christian brigades terrorized Christians as well as Muslims. A missionary described this period as a reign of terror for Muslims hard to imagine.[7] Simko also instigated the massacre of 1,000 Christians in Salmas.[8]
Revolt
By summer 1918, Simko had established his authority in the region west of Lake Urmia.[9] In 1919, Simko organized an army of 20,000 Kurds and managed to secure a self-governed area in northwestern Iran, centered in the city of Urmia. Simko's forces had been reinforced with several hundred soldiers and mercenaries from Ottoman Turkey, including Kurdish deserters and nationalists, while other mercenaries were attracted by the high pay and the fact that Simko gave them Kurdish women[2]. After taking over Urmia, Simko appointed Teymur Agha Shikak as the governor of the city. Later, he organized his forces to fight the Iranian army in the region and managed to expand the area under his control to the nearby towns and cities such as Mahabad, Khoy, Miandoab, Maku and Piranshahr in a series of battles.
In the battle of Gulmakhana, Kurdish forces under his command wrested control of Gulmakhana and the Urmia-Tabriz road from Iranian forces. In the battle of Shakaryazi, the commander of Iranian Army, General Amir Ershad was killed. In the battle of Miandoab, Reza Shah commander of Iranian Army, dispatched Khaloo Qurban to counter Kurdish expansion, but he was defeated and killed by Simko's forces in 1922. In the battle of conquest of Mahabad, Simko himself commanded his forces with the help of Seyyed Taha Shamzini. After a tough battle in October 1921, Iranian forces were defeated and their commander Major Malakzadeh along with 600 Iranian Gendarmeries was killed. Simko also conquered Maragheh and encouraged the Lurs tribes of western Iran to revolt.
At this time, government in Tehran tried to reach an agreement with Simko on the basis of limited Kurdish autonomy.[10] Simko had further organized a Kurdish army, which grew stronger becoming comparable to Iranian government forces. Since the central government could not control his activities, he continued to expand the area under his control and by 1922, cities of Baneh and Sardasht were under his administration.[11]
In the battle of sari Taj in 1922, Simko's forces could not resist the Iranian Army's onslaught in the region of Salmas and were finally defeated and the castle of Chari was occupied. The strength of the Iranian Army force dispatched against Simko was 10,000 soldiers.[12] Simko and one thousand of his mounted soldiers, took refuge in nearby Turkey, where they were forced to lay down their weapons.
Aftermath
By 1926, Simko had regained control of his tribe and begun another rebellion.[1] When the army engaged him, half of his troops betrayed him to the tribe’s previous leader and Simko fled to Iraq.[1]
In 1930, the commander of Iranian Army General Hassan Muqaddam sent a letter to Simko, who was residing in the village of Barzan, and invited him for a meeting in the town of Oshnaviyeh. After consulting with his friends, Simko along with Khorshid Agha Harki went to Oshnaviyeh and were invited to the house of local army commander, Colonel Norouzi and were told to wait for the Iranian general. Colonel Norouzi convinced Simko to go to the outskirts of the town to welcome the general's arrival. However, this was a trap and Simko was ambushed and killed on the evening of June 30, 1930.
Foreign involvement
British
Tehran repeatedly accused Britain (and Iraq) of encouraging unrest, and deeply resented the asylum given by Iraq to Simko in 1922 and to Sardār Rashid in 1923.[13]
Turkey
According to The New York Times, July 10, 1922:
It is said that Simko commanded 85000 men and was assisted by Mustapha Kemal Pasha , former Turkish war minister...[14]
Simko's forces joined with the Ottoman forces during their massacres of Christians in West Azerbaijan.[15]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Smith, B. (2009). "Land and Rebellion: Kurdish Separatism in Comparative Perspective" (PDF). Working paper.
- ^ a b c Bruinessen, Martin (2006). "Chapter 5: A Kurdish warlord on the Turkish-Persian frontier in the early Twentieth century: Isma'il Aqa Simko". In Atabaki, Touraj (ed.). Iran and the First World War: Battleground of the Great Powers. Library of modern Middle East studies, 43. London; New York: I.B. Tauris. pp. 18–21. ISBN 9781860649646. OCLC 56455579.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
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|chapterurl=
ignored (|chapter-url=
suggested) (help) - ^ Allen, William Edward David; Muratoff, Paul (1953). Caucasian battlefields: A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian border, 1828-1921. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 296. ISBN 1102813.
{{cite book}}
: Check|isbn=
value: length (help) - ^ Houtsma, M. Th.; van Donzel, E. (1993). E. J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936. p. 118. ISBN 90-04-08265-4.
- ^ O'Shea, Maria T. (2004). Trapped Between the Map and Reality: Geography and Perceptions of Kurdistan. New York: Routledge. p. 100. ISBN 0415947669.
Simko later arranged the assassination of Mar Shamon, the Assyrian patriarch in March 1918, under the pretext of a meeting to discuss cooperation.
- ^ Nisan, Mordechai (2002). Minorities in the Middle East: A History of Struggle and Self-Expression (2nd ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 187. ISBN 0786413751.
Simko, their leader in Iran, had invited Mar Shimon for conference in Kuhnehshahr, west of Salmas, kissed him—and then treacherously murdered the Nestorian patriarch and his men
- ^ Joseph, John (2000). The Modern Assyrians of the Middle East: Encounters With Western Christian Missions, Archaeologists, and Colonial Power. Studies in Christian Mission (Hardcover ed.). Boston: Brill. p. 147. ISBN 9004116419.
- ^ O'Shea, Maria T. (2004). Trapped Between the Map and Reality: Geography and Perceptions of Kurdistan. New York: Routledge. p. 100. ISBN 0415947669.
Simultaneously, a 1000 Christians were killed in Salmas, in a massacre instigated by Simko.
- ^ Elphinston, W. G. (1946). "The Kurdish Question". International Affairs. 22 (1): 91–103 [p. 97]. JSTOR 3017874.
- ^ McDowall, David (1991). "The Kurds in Iran". The Kurds. London: Minority Rights Group. ISBN 0946690928.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
(help); Unknown parameter|chapterurl=
|chapterurl=
ignored (|chapter-url=
suggested) (help)[dead link] - ^ Koohi-Kamali, F. (1992). "Nationalism in Iranian Kurdistan". In Kreyenbroek, P. G.; Sperl, S. (eds.). The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview. Routledge. pp. 175–176. ISBN 0-415-07265-4.
- ^ Cronin, S. (2000). "Riza Shah and the disintegration of Bakhtiyari power in Iran, 1921–1934". Iranian Studies. 33 (3–4): 349–376 [p. 353]. doi:10.1080/00210860008701986.
- ^ Cronin, Stephanie (2002). "British Influence During the Rezā Shāh Period, 1921–41". Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- ^ "Kurdish Republic Formed; Simko, Bandit Leader, Said to Have Defeated Iranian Troops". New York Times. July 10, 1922.
- ^ Sanasarian, Eliz (2000). Religious Minorities in Iran. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 178. ISBN 0521029740.
Simko's forced joined with the Turks and killed many escaping Christians.