Abstract

The Mosul Problem, constituted the hardest point of the Turkish-Britısh relations durıng the Lousanne Peace Talks. Britİsh Foreİng Ministry and War Ministry spent a lot of efforts to keep Mosul Province under British control between the years 1922 and 1923. While they were suppoıting eveıy possible actıvity, they tried to have influence över the local trİbes by intelligence studies they carried on in the region. Against the endavours of the British to take över Mosul, the TGNA (Turkish Grand National Assembly) government dıd not fail back in the influence struggle in the region. Turkey was wanting to restrength its authority in the region which was in its own borders according to the National Pact of 1920. Thus the TGNA government appointed Majör Şevki Bey to the Süleymanİye Command in 1921 in order to take control of the military activities in the region after the establishment of the regular army. During the Lousanne Peace Talks the TGNA government carried on same activities to strength its influence över the region. A little while before the start of Lousanne Talks Antep Terrİtorial Forces Commander Özdemir Bey was sent to Mosul from Diyarbakır with a small group of voluntary corps. In fact, Özdemir Bey, who was sent to Mosul by a secret order of Mustafa Ke¬mal Paşa and TGNA government, would gave an impression that he came the region by his personal efforts. Thus, no Turkish soldier was given to him; he was made able to work with civil forces he supplied from North Africans (Algeria, Tunusia, ete.) who stayed İn Turkey after the Armistice. The British, closely examining the activities of Özdemir Bey, initiated an operatİon in the region of Süleymanİye and Revandiz with land and aİr forces by mİütaraly reinforcing the region. In this article, informatİon about the British military activities against Özdemir Bey will be given according to the reports of the British General John Salmon.