[4] The Ottomans put up a desperate fight in the city but found themselves outnumbered by waves of Bedouin and deserters.

[5] After the rebels captured the city, the Ottomans sent a punitive force of 4,000-6,000 troops under ‘Ākif Beg.

[4] On the 11th, Ākif wrote a letter to Hillah,[6] claiming that he needed to cross the city to get to Nasiriyah.

[7] This incident served to increase anti-Ottoman sentiment among Arab Shiites, some of whom came to Hilla to aid the rebels, but were too late.

[4] Al-Fatlah chieftain Mudbir al-Far'un condemned the Ottoman massacre:[1] This is a statement to the Arab nation and especially the Iraqi tribes […] Oh Arab brothers who have been cultivated by race and who trace their lineages back to Qahtan [one of the ‘fathers’ of the Arabs] […] oh those of jealousy, valour; and lords of aid and courage […] let everyone who belongs to Qahtan know that this [Ottoman] state wants to wipe you off the face of the earth and to replace you with their own Turkish kind […] By God all who did nothing in the face of such deeds and who obeyed this unjust state have none of the Arabs’ zeal.