[10] The revolt achieved some initial success, but by the end of October 1920, the uprising was suppressed by the British, although elements of it dragged on until 1922.

[12] After the Peace Treaty of Versailles in 1919 after World War I, the idea put forward by the League of Nations to create mandates for the territories that the defeated Central Powers had occupied began to take shape.

[13] People in Ottoman provinces began to fear the Mandate concept since "it seemed to suggest European imperial rule by another name".

One of the most eminent Shia mujtahid, Ayatollah Muhammad Taqi al-Shirazi, then issued a fatwa "declaring that service in the British administration was unlawful".

[15] This upset tribal leaders, especially when it came to a new tax for burial in the Wadi-us-Salaam Cemetery in Najaf, where Shia from worldwide came to be buried.

[16] Meetings between Shia ulema and tribal leaders discussed strategies for peaceful protests, but they considered violent action if they failed to get results.

[17] There were large gatherings at both Sunni and Shia mosques, which showed that cooperation between the two main sects of Iraqi society was possible.

The revolt soon gained momentum as the British garrisons in the mid-Euphrates region were weak and the armed tribes much stronger.

[18] The British War Secretary, Winston Churchill, authorised immediate reinforcements from Iran that included two squadrons of the Royal Air Force.

Eventually, the rebels began to run low on supplies and funding and could not support the revolt for much longer, and the British forces had become more effective.

The Dhuwalim (Or Zawalim) Tribe, which was led by Sheikh Shaalan Abu al-Jun, declared war against the British and advocated for the independence of Iraq.

The governor of Al Diwaniyah, Major Clive Kirkpatrick Daly, had instructed deputy Lieutenant P. T. Hyatt in al-Rumaitha to arrest him,[23] which caused the Zawalim Tribe, under the leadership of Sheikh Ghathith Harjan, to revolt and rescue him from prison.

[24] The British were worried that the incident in al Rumaitha would spread to other parts of the region, and would become a widespread issue.

A few of the leaders (shuyukh) of the rebellion assembled on the 11th of July 1920 and wrote a letter to the district's British Political Officer, in which they requested for Iraq to gain independence.

On 30 July, Hadi al-Maqoutar arrived from the city of Najaf to incite the inhabitants of the village to join the revolt.

[32] The commander of the British forces in Iraq sent a telegram to General Kongham, who was busy quelling the rebellion in the Diyala region, asking him to return to Baghdad on 16 September.

While moving towards the city of Samawah, the British forces burned down the villages on both sides of the Euphrates River near the town of Al-Khoder.

[36] Due to this battle, General Kongham summoned a person named Mr Mohamed to negotiate with the Bani Hejim tribes.

After negotiations between the two sides, an agreement on the conditions of withdrawal was finally signed in the city of Samawah between the parties on 20 November with the Bani Hajim and Fakhoudha tribes.

[38] One of the results of that battle was the evacuation of the British from many regions in Musayyib and Hindi and the joining of the clans of Daghara and Afaf, and the liberation of the rest of the surrounding areas.

The rebel clans advanced toward the Tahmaziyya, and in the meantime, the Bani Hassan tribe managed to liberate the region of Toureej without resistance.

[42] As the Assyrian manned force became more disciplined they rendered excellent service; during the Arab rebellion of the 1920s, they displayed, under conditions of the greatest trial, steadfast loyalty to their British officers.

They succeeded in seizing a number of towns, but the insurgency quickly fizzled out, as they proved to lack a unifying force.

They eventually faltered on choosing a single leader, and lacked communication when it came to organising a successful revolution.

On the morning of 16 August, the Khanaqin revolutionists, led by Karim Khurshid Bek, attacked the Bawa Mahmoud camp, where the British army was holed up after the arrival of the reinforcements.

On the evening of 24 August, the siege was lifted from the garrison of Qargan, where British soldiers were holed up, and the governor of Qarlzabat Ahmed Dara had taken refuge there.

On 22 August, Ibrahim Khan, one of the leaders of the Dalw clan, went with his companions to ascend to the top of Jabal Baba Shah Sawar, overlooking the city of Kafri, and opened fire on the governmental Sarai in the town.

As soon as Magoger Digber has returned to the city of Nasiriyah, he wrote a report to the British governor in Baghdad, Arnold Wilson.

[18][9] The RAF flew missions totaling 4,008 hours, dropped 97 tons of bombs and fired 183,861 rounds for the loss of nine men killed, seven wounded and 11 aircraft destroyed behind rebel lines.

Faysal had worked with the British before in the Arab Revolt during World War I and he enjoyed good relations with certain important officials.