 In the long term , however , the British backed Iraq and rejected an international inquiry into the killings , fearing that this may provoke further massacres against Christians . They also didn 't insist on punishing the culprits , who were now seen as heroes by Iraqis . The official British stance was to defend the Iraqi government for its perseverance and patience in dealing with the crisis and to attribute the massacres to rogue army units . A report on the battle of Dirabun blames the Assyrians , defends the actions of the Iraqi Army , and commends Bakr Sidqi as a good officer . 
