The Sanjabi Tribe and British Policy in West of Iran during the World War I

The Sanjâbi or Senjâwi tribe was one of the Kurdish tribes in west of Iranthatsupportedthetransitionalgovernment of Nizam al-Saltana and its nationalist supporters and united with Ottoman and German forces to express its opposition to the presence and activities of Russian and BritishtroopsduringtheWorldWarI. After the victory of Russian and BritisharmiesinIranianwestern regions, this tribe became a shelter for refugeesoftransitionalgovernmentandkeptonitsoppositiontothe presenceofBritishforcesandtheirprogramsinwestofIran. The present paperistostudythequality of the Sanjabi tribe leader's opposition to British policies and activities in west of Iran. It has been shown, in this article, that the British intended to establish the west police using the local tribes after capturing western Iranian regions, and the sanjabi tribe drew their attention more than other tribes due to its considerable military power and its efforts to support the national agents. Continuing to work with members of the National Defense Committee, the Sanjabi leaders announced their opposition to the policy of the British. The British brokers in west of Iran tried to discourage the leaders of Sanjabi tribe to oppose their policies in four manners: negotiation, to stimulate neighboring tribes against them, disconnecting their relations to the members of the National Committee, and military attack.