Jamil al-Midfai

Who was Jamil al-Midfai?

Jamil al-Midfai was an Iraqi politician. He served as that country's prime minister on five separate occasions:

November 9, 1933 – August 25, 1934

March 1, 1935 – March 16, 1935

August 17, 1937 – December 26, 1938

June 2, 1941 – October 10, 1941

January 29, 1953 – September 1, 1953

Born in the town of Mosul, Midfai served in the Ottoman army during World War I, but deserted in 1916 to take part in the nationalist Arab Revolt. After the war, he was an aide to the Emir Faisal during his brief reign in Syria. He returned to Iraq in 1920, but was soon forced into exile in Jordan because of his anti-British nationalist activities. Upon his return in 1923, he served in various senior provincial capacities and finally joined the cabinet in 1930.

As a seasoned politician and two-time prime minister, he was asked to form a new government in August 1937, following the assassination of General Bakr Sidqi, who had ruled the country as military dictator for almost a year. A staunch monarchist, Midfai was again forced into exile in Transjordan following the short-lived pro-Axis coup by Rashid Ali al-Kaylani in 1941.