Khanasor Expedition

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Khanasor Expedition

Nigol Douman's Fedayee group that participated in the Khanasor Expedition

Date	July 25, 1897
Location	plain of Khanasor
Result	Armenian victory, Mazrik tribe's influence on the region nulified.

Combatants

Kurds of Khanasor.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation, assisted by the Hunchak and Armenakan.

Commanders

Khanasora Vartan, Ishkhan and Nigol Douman

Strength

250 fedayees

Casualties

Mass civilian Kurdish casualties.

Total number unknown, Garo (brother of Stepan Zorian) among the dead.

Khanasor Expedition (Armenian: Խանասորի Արշաւանքը) was performed by the Armenian militia against the Kurdish Mazrik tribe on July 25, 1897. In 1896, during the Defense of Van, the Mazrik tribe ambushed a squad of Armenian defenders and mercilessly slaughtered them. The Khanasor Expedition was the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's decision to retaliate.

1 Event
2 Results
3 References
4 See also
5 Notes

[edit] Event

Merely a year after the events of the Ottoman Bank takeover, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation decided to retaliate and "punish" the Kurdish Mazrik tribe for their role in the Hamidian massacres and their ambush on the defenders of Van. The Mazrik tribe were settled in the fields of Khanasor, near Avarayr. The ARF, with the support of the Hunchakians and the Armenakans, organized an attack on the tribe. The brainchild of the operation was Nigol Douman alongside Khanasora Vartan and Ishkhan, all of whom participated as commanders of the operation. On July 25, 1897, at dawn, 250 fedayees attacked the Mazrik tribe, killing all the men and sparing only the women and children.

[edit] Results

Although ARF founder Rosdom's brother, Garo, was among the casualties, the Khanasor expedition was a small triumph for the Armenians. As a result, Armenians built up their self-confidence, their belief in their ability to defend themselves now re-enforced. To this day, the ARF remembers the event in commemorative ceremonies honouring the expedition as an important event in the history of the Armenian struggle for freedom.

[edit] References

Translated and NPOVed from the Armenian: Mihran Kurdoghlian, Badmoutioun Hayots, C. hador [Armenian History, volume III], Athens, Greece, 1996, pg. 45-46.