Memo from Andranik Ozanyan – Which Language the Turks Understand

One evening, Andranik’s father Toros returned home covered in blood: one Turk severely beat him and injured his head. Young Andranik found out who this Turk was and decided to take revenge. He didn’t tell his father anything though, knowing his kind and mild character.

Every evening, Andranik was waiting on the road for that Turk. And once, the revengeful gaze of Andranik met the eyes of the Turk. With powerful blows of a heavy baton, he knocked the Turk down and ran away. The Turk would die from the injuries. Andranik was forced to flee to Constantinople and then move to Kars and eventually to Batum.

But he soon returned to Western Armenia and joined his inspirer, the leader of the Armenian partisans Aghpyur Serob.

In the meantime, Bashar-Khalil, encouraged by the government of the bloody Sultan Abdul Hamid, committed his barbaric crimes loosely and without fear.

On November 1, 1899, Bashar-Khalil beheaded Aghpyur Serob, killed his brother, and 8 Armenian fedayis. He planted Serob’s head on a pole for demonstration on the squares of Mush and Bitlis.

Khalil together with Ali Pasha would then proceed on to killing 27 Armenian women and children together with the priest Ter-Poghos in the village of Talvorik. Andranik swore revenge for his friend and for the barbaric crime against civilians.

Soon, all the entourage of Bashar-Khalil was killed by Andranik and his men. By the order of Andranik, Bashar-Khalil was initially captured alive. Andranik beheaded the Turk with his own dagger that he had used to behead Serob and took away the medal that Khalil received for the murder of Serob.