Lakestan incident

The Lakestan incident refers to the invasion and massacres led by Simko Shikak in the Lakestan region of West Azerbaijan.

Background

After the end of the World War I, Simko Shikak, who was the head of the Shikak Kurdish tribe, began leading attacks on ethnic Assyrian and Azerbaijani civilians, as well as Iranian authorities, demanding independence for Kurdistan. The region, especially the cities of Salmas, Urmia, and Khoy, was dangerous, and there were telegrams of pleas from the people. Later, Simko Shikak planned an invasion of Lakestan, namely Soltan Ahmad and Qarah Qeshlaq, both of which were inhabited entirely by ethnic Azerbaijanis. The residents were cattle breeders, farmers, or chiefs.

Invasion

During December 1919, Simko prepared forces to attack Lakestan. When the people of Lakestan heard, they prepared for war and gathered from nine villages in two places, one being Soltan Ahmad and the other being Qara Qeshlaq. They brought their wives and children along with them. There was 8,700 locals, although over 340 did not have weapons. The leaders of the Azerbaijanis were Masoud Divan and his brother Sadegh Khan. Taymour Yavur Habshi and Hajireza Qaraqeshlaghi and Karbalaei Ibrahim Khan Qazaljah were also among the companions of Masoud Divan and the chiefs of Lakestan. Before the battle began, Kazem Khan, an Azerbaijani leader from Qushchi, came to Lakestan with fifty of his fighters.

Simko had nearly 4,000 Kurdish troops. On Friday, 19 December, the Kurds reached the vicinity of Soltan Ahmad, beginning the battle. The Azerbaijanis resisted for two hours before being overwhelmed by the Kurds, who entered the city from all sides and began looting and killing. Those who escaped made it to Qara Qeshlaq, while some were killed before they reached it. Simko asked for 5,000 tomans and 15,000 bullets in order to end the invasion, however his demands were not met.

After capturing Soltan Ahmad, Simko led the assault on Qara Qeshlaq. Masoud Divan and his brothers Sadiq Khan and Ibrahim Khan led the defence of Qara Qeshlaq and were able to resist for eleven hours. The battle in Qara Qeshlaq was much bloodier than the one in Soltan Ahmad. Masoud Divan was later killed. The Kurds eventually captured Qara Qeshlaq. Qara Qeshlaq residents escaped at night in the desert, while those who stayed in the village were captured. Many of those who escaped died from the cold, while the survivors reached Sharafkhaneh after 2 days.

Casualties

In the telegram that survivors of Lakestan sent to Tabriz, they claimed that 3,500 Azerbaijanis had died, with 2,000 of them dying during the battles and 1,500 dying due to the cold weather while they were trying to escape. The deaths created a strong shock in Tabriz, where the people criticised the Iranian government. They compared the Lakestan incident to the Uprising of Sheikh Ubeydullah, where Kurdish rebels infiltrated Iran and nearly reached Tabriz, before failing due to the Shia Azerbaijanis refusing to surrender to Sunni Kurds. The Iranian Army later deployed troops to Lakestan and retook it, and began negotiating with Simko, who briefly stopped his attacks before resuming them shortly after. In nearby settlements, Azerbaijanis and Assyrians clashed with Kurds.