11 Facts About Bakr Sidqi

Bakr Sidqi al-Askari was an Iraqi general of Kurdish origin, born in 1890 and assassinated on 11 August 1937, in Mosul.

Bakr Sidqi was born to Kurdish family either in 'Askar, a Kurdish village, or in Baghdad.

Bakr Sidqi later attended the British Staff College and was considered one of Iraq's most competent officers.

Bakr Sidqi lectured in the military school and achieved the rank of colonel in 1928 and brigadier general in 1933.

Bakr Sidqi was "accused of having tried to set up a Kurdish state in the north of Iraq, which would include the Kurds of Iran and Turkey".

Bakr Sidqi pressed his case before the League of Nations in 1932.

Bakr Sidqi's followers established plans to resign from the Iraq Levies and to regroup as a militia and concentrate in the north, creating a de facto Assyrian enclave.

Any interference by Bakr Sidqi's opponents was neutralised by Bakr Sidqi himself, who managed to send a telegram to Taha al-Hashimi ordering him not to return.

Concerned at the potetion for any dissension arising from al-Askari's actions, Bakr Sidqi sent two of his men, Akram Mustapha, member of the air force, and Ismail Tohalla, who had participated in the Simele massacre, to assassinate him.

Bakr Sidqi was recognised as one of the most brilliant officers in the Royal Iraqi Army, known for his intelligence, ambition, and self-confidence.

Bakr Sidqi believed the army was needed to bring about reform and achieve order, a stance he shared with Ataturk and Reza Shah.