| Golden Square | |
|---|---|
| المربع الذهبي | |
| Leader | Salah al-Din al-Sabbagh Kamil Shabib Fahmi Said Mahmud Salman |
| Dates of operation | 1930 (1930)–1941 (1941) |
| Country |  Kingdom of Iraq |
| Motives | Overthrow of theKingdom of Iraq |
| Headquarters | Baghdad, Iraq |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Notable attacks | 1941 Iraqi coup d'état |
| Part of | Axis powers |
| Allies |  National Brotherhood Party Nazi Germany Fascist Italy Vichy France |
| Opponents |  British Empire The Iraqi Royal family |
| Battles and wars | Anglo-Iraqi War |
TheGolden Square (Arabic:المربع الذهبي,al-Murabbaʿ al-dhahabī), also known as theFour Colonels (Arabic:العقداء الأربعة,al-ʿiqdā' al-arbaʿa), was acabal of pro-Fascist and pro-Nazi army officers of theIraqi armed forces who played a part in Iraqi politics throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. They conspired to overthrow the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq and expel the British presence in Iraq. The activities of the Golden Square culminated in supportingRashid Ali al-Gaylani in hisoverthrow of government in 1941,[2] briefly instituting the Golden Square National Defense Government. However, theAnglo-Iraqi War resulted in the disbandment of the Golden Square.
The officers desired full independence from Britain, and the formation of a pan-Arab state from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, and a settlement of theintercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine[citation needed]
The Golden Square included the four most important leaders of the "Circle of Seven". The Circle of Seven was a group ofSunniArab nationalist military officers who were greatly influenced by Italian and German emissaries, includingGermanAmbassadorFritz Grobba, in turn, greatly influenced politics in Iraq during the 1930s and early 1940s.[3]
The members of the Golden Square wereColonelSalah al-Din al-Sabbagh, ColonelKamil Shabib, ColonelFahmi Said, and ColonelMahmud Salman. During theAnglo-Iraqi War, the four members of the Golden Square commanded units located in theBaghdad area. Salah ad-Din al-Sabbagh was commander of the Iraqi 3rd Infantry Division. Kamal Shabib commanded the 1st Infantry Division. Fahmi Said commanded the Independent Mechanized Brigade. Mahmud Salman, the one non-Army officer, was the chief of theAir Force.[4]
The members of the Golden Square were virulentlyanti-British. In time, these men represented real power as successive Iraqi governments sought the support of the military for survival. The members of the Golden Square looked toFascist Italy andNazi Germany tosupport them and, for his part, Grobba enthusiastically encouraged them to do so,[5] as did Italian ambassadors.
On 1 April 1941, Rashid Ali and the Golden Square launched acoup d'etat to topple the government of the regent, Prince'Abd al-Ilah. The subsequentAnglo-Iraqi War ended disastrously for Rashid Ali and the members of the Golden Square who, for the most part, fled Iraq as the British closed in onBaghdad. Shabib, Said, Salman, Sabbagh were all eventually returned to Iraq and executed.[6]
the notorious "Golden Square", four young ultra-nationalist colonels