Khalil Pasha

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Khalil Pasha (Turkish: Halil Paşa)(1864 - 1923) was a Ottoman regional governor and military commander. He was in command of Ottoman forces in Mesopotamia during World War I when the British conquered the whole territory.

Khalil Pasha was a high ranking member of the Ottoman government. He was appointed governor of the Baghdad province and was also the commander of the Turkish 6th Army from 1915 till the end of the war in 1918.

Main article: Mesopotamian Campaign

Khalil Pasha was not a successful general. The one great success that occurred during his command was the Siege of Kut, when the British were forced to surrender after a protracted siege. However, credit for this success is largely given to the commander in the field, a German General Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz. Before von der Goltz arrived in Mesopotamia, and after his death, Khalil Pasha's armies were consistently defeated by the British.

Khalil Pasha was also in charge of Ottoman forces as they unsuccessfully attempted to destabilize Persia in 1917.

Khalil Pasha failed to defend Baghdad in 1917 (see the Fall of Baghdad). In 1918, his army was utterly defeated by the British and he surrendered the remains of the 6th Army in October 1918, allowing the British to occupy Mosel just as the great war ended.