Khanasor Expedition

Khanasor Expedition
Nigol Douman's Fedayee group that participated in the Khanasor Expedition
Date July 25 to July 27, 1897 Location Plain of Khanasor Result Armenian victory, Mazrik tribe's influence on the region nulified.
Belligerents
Kurds of Khanasor.	Armenian Revolutionary Federation, assisted by the Hunchak and Armenakan.
Commanders and leaders
Sharaf Beg	"Khanasora" Vartan Mehrapanian, Nigol Douman and Ishkhan Arghoutian
Strength
The entire tribe	250 fedayees
Casualties and losses
Most of the men of the tribe	26 including Garo (brother of Stepan Zorian), "Khan" and Arisdages Zorian

The Khanasor Expedition (Armenian: Խանասորի Արշաւանքը, Khanasori Arshavankĕ) was an attack by an Armenian irregular unit against the Kurdish Mazrik tribe on July 25, 1897. In 1896, in the aftermath of the Defense of Van, the Mazrik tribe had ambushed and slaughtered many of the Armenian defenders of Van as they were retreating into Persia. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation decided to retaliate for that atrocity, resulting in the Khanasor Expedition.

Event

About a year after the events of the Ottoman Bank takeover, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation decided to retaliate and "punish" the Kurdish Mazrik tribe for its role in the Hamidian massacres and its ambush on the defenders of Van. The Mazrik tribe were camped 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 operation was the brainchild of Nigol Douman alongside "Khanasora" Vartan Mehrpanian and Ishkhan Arghoutian, all of whom participated as commanders of the operation. On 25 July 1897, at dawn, 150 Armenian fedayees attacked the Mazrik tribe, killing all the men and sparing only the women and children. The Mazrik chief, Sharaf Beg, managed to escape through the darkness. The attack ended on 27 July 1897.

Results

Although ARF founder Rosdom's brother Garo and 25 other fedayees were among the casualties, the Khanasor expedition was a small triumph for the Armenians, both militarily and morally. As a result, Armenians built up their self-confidence; their belief in their ability to defend themselves was now reinforced. 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.

References

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

See also

• Armenian resistance