An Askari spear bearer guards at an Allied air training school at Waterkloof, Pretoria, South Africa in 1943.

Askari is an Arabic, Turkish, Somali, Persian and Swahili word meaning "soldier" (Arabic: عسكري‎ ‘askarī). It was normally used to describe indigenous troops in East Africa and the Middle East serving in the armies of European colonial powers. The designation can however also describe police, gendarmerie and security guards.^[1] Hasan al-Askari (Arabic: الإمام الحسن بن علي العسكري) (December 6, 846 – January 1, 874), was the eleventh Shia Imam. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x949, 341 KB) Description: COMMONWEALTH JOINT AIR TRAINING PLAN, NO 23 AIR SCHOOL AT WATERKLOOF, PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, JANUARY 1943 An Askari native guards an aircraft with an assegai. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x949, 341 KB) Description: COMMONWEALTH JOINT AIR TRAINING PLAN, NO 23 AIR SCHOOL AT WATERKLOOF, PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, JANUARY 1943 An Askari native guards an aircraft with an assegai. ... This article is about the independent states that comprised the Allies. ... Waterkloof (Afrikaans for Water Cliff) is a suburb of the city of Pretoria, South Africa. ... Motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Country Province Established 1855 Area  - Total 1,644 km² (634. ... Arabic redirects here. ... Farsi redirects here. ... Swahili (also called Kiswahili; see Kiswahili for a discussion of the nomenclature) is an agglutinative Bantu language widely spoken in East Africa. ... Arabic redirects here. ...  Eastern Africa (UN subregion)  East African Community  Central African Federation (defunct)  Geographic East Africa, including the UN subregion and East African Community East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

During the period of European rule in East Africa locally recruited askari soldiers were employed by the Italian, British, Portuguese, German and Belgian colonial forces. They played a crucial role in the initial conquest of the various colonial possessions and subsequently served as garrison and internal security forces. During both World Wars askari units served outside the boundaries of their colonies of origin.

British Empire

The British Imperial British East African Company raised units of askari from amongst the Swahili, Sudanese and Somali peoples. There was no official uniform, nor standardised weaponry. Many of the askaris campaigned in their native dress. Officers wore civilian clothes. From 1895 the British askaris were organised into a regular, uniformed force called the East African Rifles, later part of the King's African Rifles^[2] The Kings African Rifles (KAR) was a British colonial regiment in East Africa from 1902 until the independence of the various colonies in the 1960s. ...

German Empire

The German Colonial Army (Schutztruppe) of the German Empire employed native African troops with European officers and NCOs in its colonies. The main concentration of such locally recruited troops was in German East Africa (now Tanzania.) Formed in 1881 after the transfer of the Wissmanntruppe (Raised in 1889 to suppress the Abushiri) to German imperial control. Although the First Askaris' formed in East Africa were by DAOG (Deutsche Ost-Afrika Gesellschaft, German East Africa Company) in about 1888. Originally drawn from Sudanese mercenaries, the German askaris were subsequently recruited from the Wahehe and Angoni tribal groups. They were harshly disciplined (as all German troops of that time) but well paid (on a scale twice that of their British counterparts in the King's African Rifles) and highly trained by German cadres who were themselves subject to a rigorous selection process. Prior to 1914 the basic Schutztruppe unit in East Africa was the feldkompanie comprising seven or eight German officers and NCOs with between 150 and 200 askaris (usually 160) - including two machine gun teams. Such small independent commands were often supplemented by tribal irregulars or ruga-ruga. The Schutztruppe was the colonial armed force of Imperial Germany from the late 1800s to 1918 when Germany lost its colonies. ... For German colonial territories, see German Colonial Empire. ... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... German East Africa (German: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was Germanys colony in East Africa, including what is now Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanganyika, the mainland part of present Tanzania. ... The Kings African Rifles (KAR) was a British colonial regiment in East Africa from 1902 until the independence of the various colonies in the 1960s. ...

They were successfully used in German East Africa where 11,000 askaris and their European officers commanded by Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck managed to resist numerically superior British, Portuguese and Belgian colonial forces until the end of World War I in 1918. General von Lettow-Vorbeck as a Colonel General Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (March 20, 1870 - March 9, 1964) was the commander of the German East Africa campaign in World War I, the only colonial campaign of that war where Germany remained undefeated. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

In 1952, decades after the end of World War I, the German government did recognize veteran pensions to the surviving Africans who served in that conflict. When a delegation was sent to Tanzania it was received by hundreds of old men with some knowledge of the German language but almost no viable proof of service. To sort out the genuine applicants they were given a broom handle to be held as a rifle and shouted drill instructions. The vast majority had not forgotten their training and as such were awarded the pension.

A drawing of an East African Askari in German service by Wilhelm Kuhnert

A sketch of an Askari by Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865-1926) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... A sketch of an Askari by Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865-1926) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...

Nazi Germany

During WWII, Germans used the term Askari for Soviet deserters or prisoners who switched sides and collaborated with them.[2] [3] [4]

Italian Empire

The Italian army also employed native troops in Italian East Africa. These forces comprised infantry, cavalry and some light artillery units. They were recruited initially from Eritreans and subsequently Somalis, with Italian officers and some NCOs. The Italian askaris fought in the First Italo–Ethiopian War, Italian-Turkish War, Second Italo-Abyssinian War and World War II (East African Campaign). Out of a total of 256,000 Italian troops serving in Italian East Africa in 1940, about 182,000 were recruited from Eritrea, Somalia and the recently occupied (1935-36) Ethiopia. In January 1941, British Commonwealth forces invaded Ethiopia and the majority of the newly recruited Ethiopian askaris serving with the Italian Army in East Africa deserted. Most of the Eritrean askaris remained loyal until the Italian surrender four months later. Map of Italian East Africa Italian East Africa or Empire of Italian East Africa (Italian: Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was a short-lived (1936-1941) Italian colony in Africa consisting of Ethiopia (recently occupied after the Second Italo-Abyssinian War) and the colonies of Italian Somaliland and Eritrea. ... Combatants Kingdom of Italy Ethiopian Empire Commanders Oreste Baratieri Menelik II Strength 17,000 80,000-150,000 (estimated) Casualties 18,133 11,000 The First Italo–Ethiopian War was fought between Italy and Ethiopia in 1895-1896. ... Combatants Italy Ottoman Empire Commanders Luigi Caneva Ismail Enver Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Strength 100,000 28,000 Casualties 3,380 dead 4,220 wounded 14,000 dead 5,370 wounded The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War (also known in Italy as guerra di Libia, the Libyan war, and in... Combatants Kingdom of Italy Ethiopian Empire Commanders Benito Mussolini Emilio De Bono Pietro Badoglio Rodolfo Graziani Haile Selassie Ras Imru Strength 800,000 combatants (only ~330,000 mobilized) ~250,000 combatants Casualties 10,000 killed1 (est. ... Combatants United Kingdom Anglo-Egyptian Sudan British Somaliland British East Africa British India Gold Coast Nigeria N. Rhodesia S. Rhodesia Union of S. Africa Belgium Belgian Congo Free France Ethiopian irregulars Italy Italian East Africa German Motorized Company Commanders Archibald Wavell William Platt Alan Cunningham Duke of Aosta Guglielmo Nasi...

Spanish Colonies

As noted above "askari" was normally a designation used in East Africa. Exceptionally though, the term "askari" was also used by the Spanish colonial government in North-West Africa, in respect not of their regular Moroccan troops (see regulares), but a locally recruited gendarmerie force raised in Spanish Morocco in 1913 and known as the "Mehal-la Jalifianas". This was the equivalent of the better known Goumiers employed in French Morocco. Indigenous members of the Tropas Nomadas or desert police serving in the Spanish Sahara were also designated as "askaris". Regulares (Spanish for Regulars, officially called the Fuerzas Regulares Indígenas) was the name commonly used to designate the volunteer infantry and cavalry units of the Spanish Army recruited in Spanish Morocco. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Goum. ... The Tropas Nómadas (Nomad Troops) were an auxiliary regiment to the colonial army in Spanish Sahara (today Western Sahara). ...

Iraq War

Ugandan private security guards for American installations in Iraq are also designated as askari. Guards were to receive $1,000 monthly salary and an $80,000 bonus if shot, but many have complained that the money was not paid or unfair fees assessed. The guards work for recruiting agencies such as Askar Security Services, which are hired by Beowulf International, a receiving company in Iraq, which subcontracts their services to EOD Technologies, an American company hired by the U.S. Department of Defense to provide security guards for Camp Victory in Baghdad. A Beowulf representative said that 400 of the workers "had impressed the US Army with their skill and experience", but complained that some of the workers lacked police or security experience and "didn't even know how to hold a gun". At least eleven other Ugandan recruiters include Dresak International and Connect Financial Services.^[3] The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ... Camp Victory is the primary component of the Victory Base Complex (VBC) that occupies the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ...

Other uses

• In apartheid South Africa, Askari was the term given to guerrillas who were captured by the South African army and 'turned' or converted into spies or soldiers for the apartheid regime.

• Askari can also mean "spear bearer".

• Older bull elephants which break away from the herd often form the nucleus of "bachelor herds" with one or a number of younger males. These younger males are referred to as 'askari' (both for singular elephants and groups of elephants).

• Askari are a minor class of creature in the African/tropical-themed Mirage and Visions (and later Time Spiral) expansion sets of the collectable card game Magic: The Gathering^[4].

A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... For other uses, see Elephant (disambiguation). ... Time Spiral is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set, released on October 6, 2006. ... Collectible card games (CCGs), also called customizable card games or trading card games, are played using specially designed sets of cards. ... Magic: The Gathering (colloq. ...

See also

• Force Publique (Belgian Congo)
• Tirailleurs (French Africa)
• King's African Rifles (British East Africa)
• colonial troops
• Schutztruppe
• USS Askari (ARL-30)

The Force Publique (FP) was the official armed force for what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, (when the territory was known as the Congo Free State), through the period of direct Belgian rule (1908-60), until the beginning of the Second Republic in 1965. ... Tirailleur means sharpshooter in French. ... The Kings African Rifles (KAR) was a British colonial regiment in East Africa from 1902 until the independence of the various colonies in the 1960s. ... Colonial troops or colonial army refers to various military units usually used as garrison troops in various colonies. ... The Schutztruppe was the colonial armed force of Imperial Germany from the late 1800s to 1918 when Germany lost its colonies. ... The USS Askari (ARL-30) was one of 39 Achelous-class landing craft repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. Askari is an Arabic word for soldier, a term frequently applied to indigenous troops in Africa serving European colonial powers, particularly the British and Germans...

References

1. ^ [1] | Kamusi Project
2. ^ Amies of the 19thC East Africa Chris Peer, Foundry books 2003
3. ^ Uganda: Askaris in Iraq Ripped Off (2007-08-12).
4. ^ Gatherer search. Wizards Of The Coast. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.

• Comando Supremo
• African World War II Veterans
• Histoire de la Force Publique (History of the Force Publique) by Lieutenent-General Emile Janssens, Wasmael-Chalier of Namur in 1979