After the surrender of the Kut garrison on 29 April 1916, the British Army in Mesopotamia underwent a major overhaul.

A new commander, Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Stanley Maude, was given the job of restoring Britain's military reputation.

While these troops were being trained, British military engineers built a field railway from the coast up to Basra and beyond.

Khalil Pasha responded by shifting his army out of its defensive positions to mirror the move of the British on the other side of the river.

This sudden defeat unnerved Khalil Pasha and he ordered his army to retreat north to Baghdad.

The Ottoman authorities ordered the evacuation of Baghdad at 8 p.m. on 10 March, but the situation was rapidly moving beyond Khalil Pasha's control.

A week later, General Maude issued the Proclamation of Baghdad, which included the line, "Our armies do not come into your cities and lands as conquerors or enemies, but as liberators".

The Ottoman government was forced to end its military operations in Persia and try to build up a new army to prevent the British from moving on to capture Mosul.

This power struggle led to the creation of the Mesopotamian Administration Committee, under the leadership of Lord Curzon.

The temporary government here would eventually evolve into the British Mandate for Mesopotamia and Mandatory Iraq.