"Based on the situation in the city, the French commander, General
Quérette, asked for a delegation to negotiate. So a committee made up
of the deputy (Ottoman) governor, an engineer, the Gendarmerie
commander, the mayor and two merchants went to see the General,
who threatened them, saying 'I'll burn you all! What are you thinking?!
You are facing the French state!' Responding, our delegation told him
that 'even if you burn us and ruin us, we will not let you interfere with
our government! We are all ready to die. This is not French land, it
is Moslem land and only Moslem rule will prevail here.'"
"Hearing this fierce response from our delegation, the General became
enraged and detained them. The municipal sergeant came and alerted
everyone that the delegation had been detained, enflaming the
populace. Quickly, negotiations ensued between the two sides. It was
nine o'clock on Wednesday, 21 October 1920, when two shots rang out,
which was the pre-arranged signal for the start of our offensive.
Everyone took their position."
"General Quérette sent the (detained Ottoman) deputy governor to
counsel us. Meanwhile, our squad commanders led their men in a
takeover of all the streets. Hearing the firing, a force of 30-40 French
soldiers headed toward the town from their barracks, but when faced
with our fighters in the Rüstebaiye quarter, named for the daughter of
the late-15th century Dulkadiriye ruler Alaüddevle, they retreated."
"The Armenians and the French took shelter in their churches and
homes. Henceforth, Maraş was a battlefield, as the French began to
rain down cannonballs, machine-gun fire and bombs on the city. For
our part, we set fire to some places in the town so the enemy could
understand our determination to fight to the finish and leave him
nothing but ruins and graves."
"We controlled the streets and no one showed any fear of the French
firing. The women and children were put in the basements, where
the women prepared hot food and the elderly distributed it to the
fighters at the barricades. Thirteen and fifteen-year-old children
were left to defend their homes. Everyone was busy with their
individual duty. Women stranded in houses we planned to burn
were moved. At times, we burned 15-20 homes at once, together
with everything inside them."
"As for the enemy, they were burned alive in the places where they
had taken refuge - our fighters maintained control of the streets so
none of the enemy could flee from the burning buildings. We buried
our martyrs next to their homes. Everyone expected the worst.
Probably every Moslem would die but so would every enemy. Maraş
would be our grave and theirs, too."
"The battle continued with all its ferocity. But none of the enemy's
belongings were looted or women's chastity violated. The gold and
goods of dead Armenians lay untouched in the streets. We were
focused only on the battle and our duty. The cold, snow and storm
continued unabated. On the third day of the battle, Kılıç Ali arrived
and took command, as the enemy kept up its firing and bombing,
amazed by the resistance they faced and asking for reinforcements."
//END of PART SEVEN//
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