On April 8, 1918, the Ottoman Turkish forces advanced from Sauj Bulak and Ushno, taking up positions on the outskirts of the village of Qasim Lui, next to Urmia and located in a valley near Ushno.[7][8] The Assyrian guards on the southern side of Urmia informed Agha Petros about the approaching Turkish forces. Agha Petros dispatched a force to the village of Seray and another to the villages of the Barandouz River. The Assyrians gathered at the command center to listen to Agha Petros's speech. Agha Petros said:
I suppose the name of the Turkish forces carries weight with you, but I tell you, they have no experience in these regions, and all they possess are photographs. As for us, we surpass them with our knowledge and expertise of this land, and we have maneuvers across its geography that would never occur to the enemy. So, rejoin your units and let the enemy advance, for no blame shall fall upon you. I will join you in two days, and on the third day the fighting with the Turks will begin and will end no later than the fourth day. By the sixth day, a decisive victory will be achieved, and we shall return triumphant, driving before us the enemy’s captives and seizing his military equipment.
Prior to this, the Assyrian force had fought against Persian Cossack troops in Urmia and Dilman, after the Iranian government had sent them to disarm the Assyrians. The Persian Cossacks failed, and the Assyrians continued to carry their arms and to maintain their military organization.[10]
Battle
The Assyrian force under the command of Agha Petros decided to confront the Turks in the vicinity of Ushno, facing a more superior force numbering between 2,000 to 9,000 soldiers, accompanied by Persian Cossack and Kurdish troops, while armed with heavy cannons.[11][12][13][14]
Agha Petros and Malik Khoshaba then set out with 1,500 fighters and two cannons toward Qasim Lui, where the Turkish forces were encamped on the opposite bank of the river. 50 Assyrian fighters advanced two miles ahead of the army, but the Turks opened fire on them, killing 8 of them. The rest withdrew and reported the incident to Agha Petros, informing him that Turkish fighters, along with Iranians known as the "Black Caps," had joined the Turks in preparation for an attack on Urmia.[14]
Agha Petros ordered his forces to retreat four miles until they reached a hill near the village of Balanush. There, the fighters’ morale began to weaken, and signs of withdrawal appeared. Agha Petros stood among them and said:
O sons of the tribes... I want to tell you two things:
First: The Turks fought you and drove you out of your homes in Hakkâri, so you sought refuge in Urmia under Russian protection. If you flee now, where will you go? Who will protect you? If the enemy gains control of Urmia, he will either kill us all or force us into Islam.
Second: These forces once terrified you because they carried cannons and Mauser rifles, while you fought them with old 'sheshkhana' guns. But now we are their equals in weaponry: we possess artillery, machine guns, and Mauser rifles, while they have been exhausted by four years of war. It is an honor for me to fight here and die, rather than be slain before my family.
When the fighters heard this speech, enthusiasm spread among them, and they rushed into battle. Agha Petros then dispatched a force led by Raphael Khan, along with an Armenian unit led by Baron Arsen, to cut off the Suldouze road and block enemy reinforcements.[14] He then divided his remaining forces into two parts:
The first, led by Malik Khoshaba, to take position on one side of the Qasim Lui River.[14]
The second, a thousand fighters under his own command, marched by night through the Kurdish villages to encircle the enemy from Mount Qasim Lui.[14]
The plan was for the forces stationed by the river to begin their attack upon hearing Agha Petros’ gunfire as a signal, after which the mountain forces would launch a second assault, catching the Turks off guard. On the following morning, while the enemy was still deep in sleep, the Assyrian fighters struck from every direction, and chaos spread throughout the Turkish ranks.[14]
The Iranian author Mohammad Gholi Majd wrote about the battle of Ushno in his book The Great Famine & Genocide in Iran 1917–1919, stating that it took place on April 16, 1918.[15] In his other book, Persia in World War I and Its Conquest by Great Britain, he adds that the Turkish force numbered 2,000 and was defeated by the Assyrians in the mountains of Ushno.[12] However, this date is probably a misconception, as contemporary sources indicate that reports of the Turkish advance appeared on April 16—three days after the initial battle occurred.[11][14]
Aftermath
The Ottoman Turkish force was heavily defeated, creating a seemingly striking victory for the Assyrians.[16] The Assyrians then returned to Urmia with 325 to 500 prisoners of war, largely Kurds, and 24 of them being officers.[2][17][18] Agha Petros treated them kindly, taking them to the bathhouse and providing them with clothes, which was surprising considering that the Turks had previously terrorized Assyrian villages.[2][18] Petros told the prisoners:
You are not prisoners; you are our brothers. Your rulers send you to die and take money for it. I am ready to release anyone who wishes to return, so that he may tell his commanders not to fight and lose their lives.
Only three of the prisoners asked to return. On April 13, Agha Petros returned to Urmia, victorious, where he was received with widespread popular celebration, after defeating the Turkish forces who tried to eliminate the Assyrians.[18]
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