Mahmud Barzanji - Return and 2nd Revolt

Return and 2nd Revolt

With the exile of Sheikh in India, Turkish nationalists in the crumbling Ottoman Empire were causing a great deal of trouble in the Kurdish regions of Iraq. The Turkish nationalists, led by Mustafa Kemal, were riding high in the early 1920s after their victory against Greece and were looking to take that momentum into Iraq and take back Mosul. With the British in direct control of northern Iraq after the exile of Sheikh Mahmud, the area was becoming increasingly hostile for the British officials due to the threat from Turkey. At this time the region was led by Sheikh's brother, Sheikh Qadir, who was not capable of handling the situation and was seen by the British as an unstable and unreliable leader.

Sir Percy Cox, a British military official and administrator to the Middle East especially Iraq, and Winston Churchill, a British politician, were at odds on whether to release Sheikh from his exile and bring him back to reign in northern Iraq. This would allow the British to have better control over the hostile but important region. Cox argued that the British could gain authority in a region they recently evacuated and Sheikh was the only hope of gaining back a stable region. Cox was aware of the dangers of bringing back Sheikh but he was also aware that one of the main reasons for the unrest in the region was the growing perception that the earlier promises of automony would be abandoned and the British would bring the Kurdish people under direct rule of the Arab government in Baghdad. The Kurdish dream of an independent state was growing less likely which caused conflict in the region. Bringing Sheikh back was their only chance of a peaceful Iraqi state in the region and against Turkey.

Cox agreed to bring back Sheikh and name him governor of southern Kurdistan. On December 20, 1922 Cox also agreed on a joint Anglo-Iraqi declaration that would allow a Kurdish government if they were able to form a constitution and agree on boundaries. Cox knew with the instability in the region and the fact that there were many Kurdish groups it would be nearly impossible for them to come to a solution. Upon his return, Mahmud proceeded to pronounce himself King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan. Sheikh rejected the deal with the British and began working in alliance with the Turks against the British. Cox realized the situation and in 1923 he denied the Kurds any say in the government and withdrew his offer of their own independent state. Sheikh was the king until 1924 and was involved in uprisings against the British until 1932 when the Royal Air Force and British-trained Iraqis were able to capture Sheikh again and exile him to southern Iraq.