View source for Battle of Seray Mountain

{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Seray Mountain
| place             = [[Mavana]], [[Qajar Iran|Persia]]
| combatant1        = [[File:Flag of the Assyrian Volunteers.svg|border|20px]] [[Assyrian volunteers]]<br />Supporters: [[Russian Empire]]
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Ottoman Empire}}
*[[Fifth Army (Ottoman Empire)|5th Division]]{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=87–96}}
*[[Sixth Army (Ottoman Empire)|6th Division]]{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=87–96}}
| commander1        = [[File:Flag of the Assyrian Volunteers.svg|border|20px]] [[Agha Petros]]{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=57-62}}<br>[[File:Flag of the Assyrian Volunteers.svg|border|20px]] [[Malik Khoshaba]]{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=57-62}}<br>[[File:Flag of the Assyrian Volunteers.svg|border|20px]] Malik Khiyo
| commander2        = {{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} [[Halil Kut]]{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=57-62}}<br>{{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} Iskander Pasha<br>{{flagicon|Kurdistan}} Local [[Kurds|Kurdish]] chieftains
| result            =  Assyrian victory<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://nala4u.com/2020/09/12/%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d8%a2%d8%ba%d8%a7-%d8%a8%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%b3-%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%ad%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%b1%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a7/2/|title=كتاب; آغا بطرس – سنحاريب القرن العشرين / (ايضاح وتعليق) &#124; Nala4U.com &#124; صفحة 2|first=Michael|last=Giwargis}}</ref>{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=57-62}}
| date              = 5 May 1917&nbsp;– 13 August 1917{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=57-62}}
| strength1         = 1,200<ref name="auto"/>
| strength2         = 6,000<ref name="auto"/>
| casualties1       = Low
| casualties2       = Heavy<br>24 officers captured {{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=87–96}}<br>[[Mountain gun|Mountain Cannon]] captured among other weapons<ref name="auto"/>
| campaignbox       = {{Persian Campaign}}
| partof            = [[Persian campaign (World War I)]]
}}
The '''Battle of Seray Mountain''' (5 May-13 August 1917) took place between the [[Assyrian volunteers|Assyrian Volunteers]], led by [[Agha Petros]] and [[Malik Khoshaba]], and [[Ottoman Empire]] force led by [[Halil Kut]].

== Background ==
Over the summer of 1915, the [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] of [[Hakkari (historical region)|Hakkari]] successfully held off the far larger [[Military of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman army]], [[Kurdish tribes|Kurdish tribal]] forces alongside the Ottomans. The Ottomans, unable to break the Assyrians, then brought in heavy artillery and ammunition that, together with an overwhelming advantage in numbers and supplies, eventually overwhelmed the lightly armed and outnumbered Assyrians. Despite the extreme situation, they managed to bring all of their women and flocks and herds safely to [[Qajar Iran|Persia]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wigram |first=William Ainger |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PcxDAQAAMAAJ |title=Our Smallest Ally: A Brief Account of the Assyrian Nation in the Great War |date=1920 |publisher=Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge |pages=26 |language=en}}</ref> Survivors of fighting age joined the Assyrians of northwest Persia and established an [[Assyrian volunteers|Assyrian army]] with [[Russian Empire|Russian]] assistance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SHALL THIS NATION DIE? |url=http://www.aina.org/books/stnd.htm |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=www.aina.org}}</ref>

== First phase of battle ==
During the first summer of the arrival of the Assyrian refugees in Persia, the Assyrians of Lower [[Tyari]] under the leadership of Malik Khoshaba were settled around the mountains of Seray where they were besieged by Turkish and Kurdish forces under the command of [[Halil Kut]].{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=57–62}} The Ottoman army was composed of less than 6,000 men thus outnumbering the Assyrian army led by Agha Petros which numbered less than 1,200 troops. Upon their arrival, the Assyrians surprised them, the Turks had come in range of the Assyrians’ machine guns which were hidden behind the rocks of sloping hills and in the bushes.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |last=Giwargis |first=Michael |title=كتاب; آغا بطرس – سنحاريب القرن العشرين / (ايضاح وتعليق) {{!}} Nala4U.com {{!}} صفحة 2 |url=https://nala4u.com/2020/09/12/%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d8%a2%d8%ba%d8%a7-%d8%a8%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%b3-%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%ad%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%b1%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a7/2/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |language=ar}}</ref> During the night, Malik Khiyo of [[Çığlı, Çukurca|Ashitha]] (17 years old at the time) observed two groups crossing his front, positioned himself in an artillery observation post and directed a moonlight strike to hold off the enemy. Two of Khoshaba's patrols were successful in capturing Turkish and Kurdish soldiers to gather intel about their positions. Khoshaba was also successful in preventing the enemy's field guns from damaging his post at dawn, while also bringing in twenty-four Turkish prisoners and personally killing four Turkish soldiers. By 7:30am the enemy was beaten by the men of Khoshaba and Khiyo of Ashitha.{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=57–62}} Along with the wounded, there were only 24 remaining Turkish officers who were now prisoners.<ref name="auto1"/>

== Second phase of battle ==
On 13 August 1917, in Seray and [[Mavana]], the Assyrians were surrounded by the [[Fifth Army (Ottoman Empire)|5th]] and [[Sixth Army (Ottoman Empire)|6th]] Divisions, under the leadership of Iskander Pasha, who vowed to annihilate the Assyrian race with their Persian allies. Khoshaba decided to withdraw his men to their defences for the night, and to send out patrols to halt the enemy moving towards Seray. By 10:30pm the Assyrians had captured eighty-eight prisoners and a mass of arms. Khoshaba, who could speak fluent Turkish, questioned the prisoners, most of whom claimed no reinforcements would be arriving. Khoshaba also translated a captured code of signals which would call for mortar bombs. Early the following morning, Khoshaba captured more Turkish prisoners; among them was a Turkish army colonel, second in command to Iskander Pasha.{{sfn|Haddad|1996|pp=87–96}}

== See also ==

* [[Sayfo]]
* [[Persian campaign (World War I)|Persian Campaign]]
* [[Assyrian volunteers|Assyrian Volunteers]]
* [[Hakkari Expedition 1916]]
* [[Hakkari Expedition 1917]]
* [[Urmia Clashes]]
* [[Battle of Charah]]
* [[Battle of Suldouze]]
* [[Iraq Levies|Assyrian Levies]]
* [[Assyrian rebellion|Assyrian Rebellion]]
* [[Shimun XIX Benyamin|Mar Benyamin Shimun]]
* [[Agha Petros]]
* [[Malik Khoshaba]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite book |last1=Haddad |first1=Eva |title=The Assyrian, the Rod of My Anger |date=1996 |isbn=978-0-646-28418-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2gdAQAACAAJ |language=en}}




[[Category:Battles involving the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:History of the Assyrians]]
[[Category:Assyrian genocide]]