Ja'far al-Askari

Ja'far Pasha al-Askari was born in Baghdad and educated at the Ottoman Military Academy in Istanbul. Captured by British forces during World War I, he joined the Great Arab Revolt after learning of Ottoman executions of Arab nationalists, becoming commander of Sharif Hussein's regular northern army alongside his brother-in-law Nuri al-Said.

In 1921, Askari was appointed the first Minister of Defense of the newly established Kingdom of Iraq, single-handedly organizing the Royal Iraqi Army. He served two terms as Prime Minister and represented Iraq at the League of Nations before being tragically assassinated by rebellious officers during the 1936 Bakr Sidqi military coup while attempting to mediate peace.