Khanasor Expedition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Armenian victory
- Mazrik tribe's influence on the region nullified
| Khanasor Expedition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Armenian national movement | |||||||
 Armenian fedayis | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armenian Volunteers | Kurdish Mazrik tribe of Khanasor | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Andranik Pasha Sargis Mehrabyan Nikol Duman Nikoghayos Mikaelian |
Sharaf beg  | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
250 fedayees | The entire tribe | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
26 | About 200[1] | ||||||
The Khanasor Expedition (Armenian: Խանասորի արշավանք, romanized: Xanasori aršavank',) was a punitive raid launched by Armenian fedayis against the Kurdish Mazrik tribe on July 25, 1897. In 1896, in the aftermath of the Defense of Van, the Kurdish 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.[2]
About a year after the events in Van, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation decided to retaliate and "punish" the Kurdish Mazrik tribe for its role in the Hamidian massacres and its ambush of 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 planned by Nikol Duman alongside "Khanasora" Vartan Mehrpanian and Ishkhan Arghoutian, all of whom participated as commanders of the operation. Among the Armenian soldiers also there were disagreements. For their settlement the party sent in Tavriz Harutiun Shahrigian and as a result they come to conclusion of holding an action. On 25 July 1897, at dawn, the 250 Armenian fedayees attacked and killed the fighting men of Mazrik tribe, sparing the women and the children, among whom the Mazrik chief, Sharaf Bey, learned Armenians were coming earlier and managed to escape by wearing women's clothing, leaving the women and children behind. The attack ended on 27 July 1897.[3]
