World War I Retrospective: The Battle of Basra

In fall 1914, the United Kingdom dispatched an expeditionary force to modern-day Iraq, then governed by the Ottoman Empire. The force’s mission was to protect the critical oil facilities south of Basra. Having achieved what it set out to, the perils of mission creep ultimately led the British army to push onward to Baghdad, seeking decisive battle with the Turks — with disastrous consequences. Read more from STRATFOR.COM