Battle of Qurna
Al-Qurnah, Basra Governorate, Iraq
What happened
British and Indian troops under Major General Charles Fry fought Ottoman forces under Subhi Bey, the governor of Basra. Early in World War I, Britain landed troops in Mesopotamia to protect nearby Persian oil fields, and took Basra. The Ottomans dug in at Qurna, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet. British troops crossed the Tigris upstream to cut off their retreat, and Subhi Bey surrendered.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It gave the British a secure front line in southern Mesopotamia. It protected Basra and the oil refineries at Abadan.
What came next
The Ottomans struck back at Shaiba in 1915, and the British later pushed toward Baghdad. The British took Baghdad in March 1917.
Did you know?
Qurna lies where the Tigris and Euphrates, two of history's most famous rivers, join together.
Timeline
- 6 November 1914British troops land at Fao.
- 22 November 1914Britain occupies Basra.
- 3–9 December 1914Battle of Qurna.
- 11 March 1917The British enter Baghdad.