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Concept
Mesopotamian campaign
Summary
The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, troops from Britain, Australia and the vast majority from British Raj, against the Central Powers, mostly the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman Empire had conquered the region in the early 16th century, but never gained complete control. Regional pockets of Ottoman control through local proxy rulers maintained the Ottomans' reach throughout Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). With the turn of the 19th century came reforms. Work began on a Baghdad Railway in 1888; by 1915 it had only four gaps, and travel time from Istanbul to Baghdad had fallen to 21 days.
The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) had obtained exclusive rights to petroleum deposits throughout the Persian Empire, except in the provinces of Azerbaijan, Ghilan, Mazendaran, Asdrabad, and Khorasan. In 1914, months before the war began, the British government contracted with the APOC to supply oil for the Royal Navy.
The operational area of the Mesopotamian campaign was limited to the lands watered by the rivers Euphrates and Tigris River. The main challenge was moving troops and supplies through the swamps and deserts which surrounded the area of conflict.
Shortly after the European war started, the British Army sent a military force to protect Abadan, the site of one of the world's earliest oil refineries. British operational planning included landing troops in the Shatt-al-Arab. The reinforced 6th (Poona) Division of the British Indian Army was assigned the task, designated as Indian Expeditionary Force D (IEFD).
Aside from oil, a major British interest in Mesopotamia, especially in the view of politicians like Austen Chamberlain (Secretary of State for India) and former Viceroy Lord Curzon, was in maintaining British prestige in the eyes of India's Muslim population. At first campaign planning was run by the India Office and Indian Army, with little input from the War Office.
The Ottoman Fourth Army was located in the region.
Official source
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