| Battle of Oramar (1917) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Persian campaign (World War I) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Assyrian volunteers |  Oramar tribe | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Agha Petros Dawid Mar Shimun Shimun XIX Benyamin | Soto Agha | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 dead 2 wounded | 16+ killed 30 captured | ||||||
The Battle of Oramar or Oramar Expedition, [6] was a battle that took place in the summer of 1917 between the Assyrians of Agha Petros and the Kurds of Soto Agha. [7]
Agha Soto was a fierce enemy of the mountain Assyrians. He sacks their villages, steals their flocks, he abducts their women and murders the male villagers. [3]
However, the Russian Cossacks were completely unaware of these actions committed by Soto. Completely blinded by his oriental hospitality, the Russians accepted his guides to lead them through the mountains. [3]
When the Russian Cossacks arrived at a deep gorge, they were ambushed. Soto's men attacked from all sides, slaughtering every Cossack until the very last man was killed. The 18 Cossacks who decided to stay behind at the home of Soto, were also massacred. [3] This left the Assyrians of Hakkari on their own.
Before the Battle of Oramar in 1917, Soto had been captured as a thief and looter. Agha Petros, unaware of who the thief was, ordered his men to bring him in. Petros rose to his feet, and went up to the prisoner: "Sooto of Oramar" Agha said, "I will spare your life as you spared mine twenty four years ago. I am Petros of Baz" Agha petros gave Soto a sword in gratitude, and Soto gave Petros a knife. [8]
It was in early September that the Assyrian spiritual leader Mar Shimun had ordered for the punishment of Soto Agha, due to the atrocities committed against the Assyrian village of Gawar. [9]
The Russians became skeptical of any success in attacking Soto Agha because of his strong defense, that they urged a retreat. After a fierce battle, the guards of Soto Agha fled because of the strong Assyrian army. [9]
While the patriarchs men were busy fighting elsewhere, Agha petros and his army had already started to advanced into Oramar. When the Russians saw the battlefield, they immediately urged another retreat. Agha petros, refusing to withdraw, captured Oramar by nightfall when an additional force of the patriarch arrived. [9]
As the patriarch’s force arrived to Oramar, they witnessed the smoke of the battlefield just rising up to the heavens. This battle later became known in Assyrian history as "The Assyrian Battle in the clouds". [9]
Oramar was besieged by an army led by Agha Petros whilst an army led by Dawid Mar Shimun attacked from another direction, killing 16 and capturing 30 Kurds, and suffered one death and two wounded. [2] The village had fallen to the Assyrian forces by the time an additional force led by the patriarch arrived, but Suto and a number of Kurds fled to Nervi. [2] Assyrian women who had been held captive by Suto were released from his harem, and Assyrian forces under the patriarch's command pursued Suto westward whilst Agha Petros marched east. [2]
The Russian forces, previously doubtful of any chance of victory, were stunned by how the Assyrians managed to capture Oramar and defeat Soto Agha. [2]