South Persia Rifles The South Persia Rifles was a Persian military force recruited by the British in 1916 and under British command . They participated in the Persian Campaign of World War I . History . The British formed the South Persia Rifles in response to German influence in southern Iran in 1915 and early 1916 . The German agents influenced tribal groups who were already in rebellion against the British . As a result , the British had to divert troops to Iran rather than Ottoman Iraq . The South Persia Rifles was a measure to use locally raised troops rather than British troops , so the British troops could then be sent to the main fight against the Ottomans in Iraq . With the assent of the Shah ’ s government , the British were allowed to form a military force of up to 11 , 000 men to quell the resistive tribes and maintain order . Sir Percy Sykes was selected by the British to command the organization . In March 1916 he landed in Bandar - Abbas with a few British officers and non - commissioned officers , a company of Indian soldiers , and plenty of weapons and ammunition to equip the troops he recruited . Most of his early recruits came from pro - British tribes . Sykes and his men spread out to cities in southern Iran such as Yazd , Esfahan and Shiraz , as well as Bandar - Abbas . Through the summer and fall of 1916 the South Persia Rifles conducted what to the British were mopping up operations . Sykes also gained formal recognition for the Rifles from the Iranian government . By December 1916 , the organization had brigades located at Shiraz , Kerman , and Bandar - Abbas . Sykes had about 3 , 300 infantry and 450 cavalry , as well as a few artillery pieces and a machine gun . Winter closed many roads and brought the Rifles relief from tribal attacks . Sykes used the time to train his forces . In 1917 , Sykes reached an agreement with the Qashqai tribe , ending their raids , allowing him to focus on other resistive tribes . The Rifles went after the tribes in their strongholds as well as their crops and livestock , crippling them logistically so they could not continue to raid the British . By June 1917 , the government that recognized the Rifles fell , and the new prime minister and cabinet would not recognize them . Iranian attitudes towards the Rifles changed , and by late 1917 there was intense hostility towards the Rifles and the British . The British even approached the United States with a proposal to take the Rifles over , but the US declined due to lack of officers who could speak the language or were knowledgeable about Iran . In 1918 the worsening situation on the Western Front in France affected the morale of the Iranians in the Rifles and many deserted . The tribes in southern Iran became bolder , attacking Rifle outposts . The strength of the Rifles in April of that year was about 7 , 000 . Iranian resentment towards the Rifles only increased over time . Shia mullahs played a role in encouraging resistance to the British . The Shiraz brigade experienced poor morale , especially amongst the former genderamie in its ranks . That limited its use , and it was nearly disbanded . Desertions greatly reduced the size of the Fars brigade . The Kerman brigade remained loyal . Eventually , the British had to send more regular British units to reinforce the Rifles . By October 1918 , most tribal resistance had been broken . After the war , the British continued to maintain the Rifles . In the years after the war , Iran was trying to recreate its armed forces and control internal unrest . While the British supported the development of a new army to keep out Soviet influence , they realized that in the long run , the Iranians would not accept an army based on the Rifles , an organization run by foreigners . Even so , the British were not willing to see it merged into the new Iranian Army . In 1921 , they disbanded the South Persia Rifles . Many former officer and NCOs from the South Persian Rifles later joined the new Iranian Army .