Assyrians, Kurds, and Ottomans: Intercommunal Relations on the Pe ...

But when the Turks decided to eliminate him, all those Kurds who had staunchly rallied around him in his inroads against the Assyrians during 1843–1846 deserted him. Their motive then had been to fight the ‘infidel’ Assyrian tribes of Tiyari and Hakkari, who, as has been shown, occupied a strategic location in the midst of their settlements. In 1847 the situation was reversed, and accordingly each Kurdish leader reverted to pursuing his personal interest. Thus the Ottomans’ resolve to eliminate Bedr Khan arose from Kurdish internal politics. Many chiefs who had hesitated to announce their disagreement with Bedr Khan during his might openly sided with the Turks against their fellow Kurd, who presumably was leading a national movement, at the first sign of Turkish determination to deal with him. Their desertion arose from the historic friction and even enmity between the various tribes and from their jealousy of Bedr Khan’s position. The Kurds had shown the same tendencies many times before when they had helped the Turks to eliminate any emerging Kurdish centre, such as Baban, Bahdinan, or Soran.

5 April 1847

News was circulating about the advance of Omar Pasha () from Aleppo at the head of two corps to join the advancing force of the Sar Askar (commander-in-chief). The immediate effects of these preparations were to fall upon the Christian population of the region. Rassam observed that these unfortunate people would bear the burden of supplying provisions, among which was a large store of grain collected from Mosul and the villages throughout its plains. This was done despite the impoverished state of the people, who were already oppressed by the rulers and Muslim majority and exploited to the limit. Thus this policy only worsened conditions for the Christian population in all provinces where the projected contest was to take place.

Bedr Khan’s messages to Rassam revealed his awareness of both his own weakness and the determination of the Ottoman government to end his role. This state of affairs must have convinced the Porte that its previous estimate of the power of this Kurdish leader had been highly exaggerated. Rumours were also circulating that he was selling his grain stores, intending to escape to Persia.¹⁹