Kura rebellion | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Sheikh Kulaib's militia |
Emir Abdullah's forces British RAF | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Sheikh Kulaib al-Shraideh |
Emir Abdullah Frederick Peake | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
unknown | 15+ (1921 offensive)[1] |
History of Jordan |
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Prehistory |
Ancient history |
Classical period |
Islamic era |
Emirate and mandate |
Post-independence |
Jordan portal |
The Kura rebellion in Transjordan, April 1921, was instigated when Sheikh Kulaib al-Shraideh, a self-established ruler of the district of Kura, refused to surrender his autonomy to the adjacent district of Irbid. Shraideh's motivations included personal hatred towards Ali Khulki Al-Sharayri, one of Emir Abdullah's ministers, who was head of the Irbid district. Shraideh demanded that the Kura be designated a separate entity, severed from Irbid, and answerable separately to Amman.
The Amman central government refused such arrangement as it would have paved the way for more similar demands from other ambitious tribal leaders. The central government sent tax collectors to Kura but one of them was killed. The collectors withdrew to Irbid and returned with an armed force that was ambushed, killing no less than fifteen and imprisoning several others. Abdullah, realizing the nascent central government's weakness, went to Kura personally. Shraideh was flattered, and declared his submission upon the Emir's arrival. In return, Abdullah announced an amnesty for the rebels, and the Emir reshuffled the cabinet to remove Sharayri, which added to Shraideh's satisfaction.