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The Battles of Inje and Qalaburun - Military clashes between forces loyal to Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and the Azerbaijan National Government took place in the villages of Incə and Qalaburun, located between the Tikantəpə and Sayınqala roads, in April 1946.
| The Battles of Inje and Qalaburun | |||||||
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| Part of Azerbaijan crisis of 1946 | |||||||
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Background edit
In late 1944, relations between the USSR and Iran deteriorated. When the Soviet Union was refused the concession of oil, it decided to exploit ethnic grievances in Iranian Azerbaijan. As a result, the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP) was formed and declared its establishment on September 3, 1945. From October 2 to 4, 1945, the First Congress of the ADP was held in Tabriz. Elections to the Azerbaijan People's Assembly were held throughout Iranian Azerbaijan at the end of November. Simultaneously, actions were taken against the Shah's army, and these army units were neutralized. From December 1 to 19, a significant part of Iranian Azerbaijan effectively fell into the hands of the ADP. In December, the People's Congress declared itself the Constituent Assembly, which also elected members of the National Committee. On December 12, the autonomy of Iranian Azerbaijan was proclaimed. This process unfolding in Azerbaijan was closely watched and strongly opposed in Tehran.[1][2]
With the start of the process of the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Iran, there was an intensification of contacts between the Azerbaijan National Government (ANG) and the Tehran government. Tehran forces conducted propaganda among the population, urging them not to support the National Government's military service. According to Jamil Hasanli, the Tehran government intended to punish the ANG by taking advantage of the confusion arising from the decision to withdraw Soviet forces from Iran.[3]
Collisions edit
The commander of the military detachment of the Azerbaijan National Government in Maragha, General Azimi, informed Jafar Kavian, the commander of the People's Army of the ANG, in a report dated April 17 that an 800-strong Iranian military detachment had attacked the villages of Inja and Qalaburun between the Tikantepa and Sayinqala roads. This position was defended by Azerbaijan People's Government volunteers. The next day, the reorganized Iranian forces continued their attack until evening. During the four-day clashes, 15 volunteers were killed or wounded. The leader of the ANG, Ja'far Pishevari, became concerned about the ongoing attacks by the Tehran army. He feared that as a result of these attacks, the city of Tabriz, which was the center of the Azerbaijan People's Government, could be threatened. Therefore, he ordered the immediate establishment of previous regulations in these areas. Under his command, additional forces were sent to the locations where the clashes occurred. As a result of the clashes, control over Inja and Qalaburun was restored to the Azerbaijan People's Government. The Iranian army lost 8 personnel during these clashes.[4]
Result edit
Iran's defense minister at the time, Ahmad, presented the clashes in Inja and Qalaburun as an attack by the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP) on the Iranian army. He proposed punishing the democrats. However, Iran's Prime Minister at the time, Qavam as-Saltaneh, was against this approach. He advocated for a comprehensive review of the matter from all sides. According to information obtained by Soviet intelligence agencies, the clash between the democrats and the army was provoked by individuals close to the Shah, such as Ahmadi, Yazdan Panah, Manuchehr Eqbali, Sepehr, and Morteza Bayat, against Qavam. However, as a result of the measures taken by the Azerbaijan People's Government, control over Inja, Miyanbulaq, and Qalaburun villages was restored to Tabriz. Stalin and Molotov, in their correspondence with Mir Jafar Baghirov, wrote:[5]
We believe that, on the one hand, Qavam wanted to test the defense capabilities of the National Government, and on the other hand, he wanted to encourage hostile forces to disrupt the order within Azerbaijan. Pishevari stated that if necessary, he would continue to resist the Iranian army with the forces of the people's army.
In general, Baghirov emphasized the importance of military power in relations with Iran. He believed that without military force, nothing could be achieved.[5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Touraj, Atabaki (1993). Azerbaijan: Ethnicity and Autonomy in Twentieth-Century. Iran, London: British Academic Press. p. 2009.
- ^ Hasanli, Jamil (2006). At the Dawn of the Cold War: The Soviet-American Crisis over Iranian Azerbaijan, 1941–1946. London: The Harvard Cold War Studies Book Series.
- ^ Hasanli, Jamil (2006). At the Dawn of the Cold War: The Soviet-American Crisis over Iranian Azerbaijan, 1941–1946. London: The Harvard Cold War Studies Book Series. p. 281.
- ^ Hasanli, Jamil (2006). At the Dawn of the Cold War: The Soviet-American Crisis over Iranian Azerbaijan, 1941–1946. London: The Harvard Cold War Studies Book Series. pp. 281–282.
- ^ a b Hasanli, Jamil (2006). At the Dawn of the Cold War: The Soviet-American Crisis over Iranian Azerbaijan, 1941–1946. London: The Harvard Cold War Studies Book Series. p. 282.