 The conclusion of the British mandate of Iraq caused considerable unease among the Assyrians who felt betrayed by the British . For them , any treaty with the Iraqis had to take into consideration their desire for an autonomous position similar to the Ottoman Millet system . The Iraqis , on the other hand felt that the Assyrian demands were , alongside the Kurdish disturbances in the north , a conspiracy by the British to divide Iraq by agitating its minorities . 
