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Britain, as a major colonial power that had previously dominated India and referred to it as the "Jewel in the Crown" due to its important features, including the presence of mineral resources and a source of spices, and because India was one of the first countries to produce many primary materials such as wood.

The British Indian state paved the way for the invasion and occupation of Iraq with the encouragement of the "Government of His Majesty" in London, preparing it for its annexation into the British Empire through a policy that had been adopted for over two hundred years, which included signing trade agreements and sending ambassadors, consuls, and orientalists to study Iraqi society closely. This was further enhanced by the establishment of the British East India Company and what was later known as the Lee & Co trading company with India.

With the start of World War I in October 1914, the British Indian government sent a mixed force of British and Indians in several divisions, known as the Liffy Army, where the first Indian soldier to set foot on Iraqi soil was in the area between Kuwait and Basra. Battles took place between British forces and Iraqi tribal forces backed by Turkish forces, with one of the most notable battles being the Battle of Kut al-Zain, where many members of the Iraqi tribes were killed, including Shalah al-Fadl, the leader of the Sharsh tribe in Al-Qurnah, Basra. However, the strength of British military arms prevented a victory, and after about two months, British forces captured Basra.

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Iraq is a term derived from the Babylonian language that was first used to refer to the kingdom of Uruck, one of the kingdoms during the era of city-states, which later expanded its rule to include neighboring regions. Iraq or what has come to be known as "Land of Darkness" or "Land between the Rivers" or "Land of Babylon", is considered a single geographical and historical location despite the differences in the races and sects that make it up. It forms an open natural and human extension to its surrounding Arab regions, in addition to the ties of history and geography, which have linked it with them throughout history.

In the era of the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, dating back over 3,000 years before Christ, the state's expansion included all of the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and Egypt, which was conquered by the Assyrians and incorporated into their kingdoms. The Iraq region has remained a single entity since the Arab Islamic state until the Ottoman Empire, which divided it administratively into four provinces: Basra, Mosul, Shahrizor, and Baghdad, with Baghdad being the capital of the previous caliphate.

Regarding Iraq's geographical location and its non-complex terrain, water resources, natural resources, and agricultural resources have given it a deep strategic importance internationally. Located in the western part of the Asian continent, Iraq forms the gateway to the Arab homeland or what is commonly referred to as the Arabian Peninsula with Asia from the east, the Gulf from the south, the Arab world from the south and west, Turkey, then Europe from the north.

The caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab described it as "the head of the spear of Islam and the fortress of borders". It is also an important component of the Arab lands, being one of the most important provinces and regions under the Arab Islamic state throughout history. As a result of receiving the state on its land, Baghdad became the capital of the caliphate.

The Mongols entered Baghdad in 1258 AD after fierce resistance, killing its people for seven days or more, destroying and burning down the city, and killing its inhabitants. This marked the end of the caliphate, as it was transferred to Istanbul, marking the beginning of the Ottoman caliphate era.

The Ottomans ruled Iraq as one of the provinces of the Islamic caliphate