Battle of Agh-Darband
| Battle of Kirkuk | |||||||||
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| Part of the Ottoman–Persian War (1730–35) and Nader's Campaigns | |||||||||
 Illustration showing the final phases and near end of the battle, where Nader stares despondently at the corpse of Topal Pasha, the only man who had ever defeated him in battle. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Safavid Empire
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 Ottoman Empire
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Nader Haji Beg Khan |
Topal Osman Pasha † Memish Pasha † |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| Slightly less than the Ottomans | ~100,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| minimal |
20,000
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20,000
The Battle of Kirkuk, also known as the Battle of Agh-Darband was the last battle in Nader Shah's Mesopotamian campaign where he avenged his earlier defeat at the hands of the Ottoman general Topal Osman Pasha, in which Nader achieved suitable revenge after defeating and killing him at the battle of Kirkuk. The battle was another in the chain of seemingly unpredictable triumphs and tragedies for both sides as the war swung wildly from the favour of one side to the other. Although the battle ended in a crushing victory for the Persians they had to be withdrawn from the area due to a growing rebellion in the south of Persia led by Mohammad Khan Baluch, in effect robbing Nader of the strategic benefits of his great victory which would have included the capture of Baghdad if he had the chance to resume his campaign.
The defeat Nader had conceded at the battle of Samara had effects beyond just the immediate results of reducing Nader's force by 30,000 and saving Baghdad from his clutches. The loss of so many experienced fighting men and precious equipment could not be easily overcome and the first task Nader faced was restoring the morale of his fighting men who had up to that point thought themselves invincible, and not without reason as they had been nothing but victorious in all encounters. Summoning his officers he began with admitting his own mistakes: "...[Nader] claimed his fate and those of him men as one and the same, reminding them of their past sacrifices and bravery, promised them that he would wipe away the memory of their recent defeat. Thus, he came to be admired by his officers and soldiers alike and while instilling a renewed fighting spirit in the souls of his warriors he ensured they would not show reluctance in the forthcoming conclusion with the Turks."
A rebellion broke out in southern Persia under the leadership of Mohammad Khan Baluch who gathered a substantial mass of malcontents around himself and was supplied with more men from the local Arab tribes in the region. Nader's solution was first to rectify the problem of Topal Pasha and only then crush Mohammad Khan's rebellion.
There were also political dimensions present as Nader was keen to rectify his reputation as news of his defeat at Samarra would spread in Persia making fertile soil for any growths of rebellion from within. It is unclear to what extent Nader craved an opportunity to repair his ego as well as his reputation by defeating Topal Pasha who was the only man (and would remain the only man) to have bested him on the field of battle. Nader set about rapidly rebuilding his army for another confrontation with the victorious Topal Pasha.
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Wikipedia