The Armenian Rebellions (1896 - 1909)

9.The Raid on the Bank Ottoman (26 August 1896)

The raid on the Bank Ottoman was organized by the Dashnak Committee on 26 August 1896. The raiders were led by a Dashnak revolutionist named Babken Suni. Gerard Libaridian describes this attack as "the first recorded act of urban terrorism ". (29)

Hayik Tiryakian, who also took part in the raid gives the following account of this event:
"August 26th, 6:30 in the morning, 6 people were sufficient to begin the occupation. We set out early, with sacks full of bombs on our shoulders and guns in our hands. As we approached the Bank, we heard the sound of guns and bombs thrown by our vanguard friends. We rushed into the Bank. They thought we were robbers. I told them not to be afraid. The bombs were giving incredible results, they did not kill instantly, but tore their flesh apart, and made them writhe with pain and agony. We went with Garo (Armen Garo alias Karekin Pasdermadjian, was elected deputy to the National Assembly from Erzurum during the 1908 Constitutional Government and later fought against Turkey in Caucasia with his band during the First World War) to the President's office, and wrote down our conditions. We demand that the Powers fulfill our requests, that those who took part in this confrontation be freed: if not, we would blow up the Bank with ourselves. There were 17 left who could fight. Three had died, six of our friends had been wounded. Our enemies' casualties were also heavy." (30)

Simultaneous agitations by the Armenians continued in various parts of Istanbul. The British Embassy in its telegram of 30th August reports:
''It cannot be denied that this constant bomb throwing by Armenians has seriously provoked the Turks."

According to British sources 120 soldiers were killed and 25 wounded. 300 Moslems were arrested because ofthe incidents after the raid. A special court was established to try the Moslems and the Armenians who were arrested because of the disorders that continued for a few days after the raid. 17 Armenian raiders left the Bank and were sent to France after the intervention of Sir Edgar Vincent, the Bank's President with Maximoff, the Russian Embassy's head dragoman, who represented the powers.

(29) Gerard Libaridian, Armenia at the Crossroads (USA, 1991 ), p.17
(30) Vartanian, History of Dashnaktsutiun, pp.160-3

10. The second Sussan Rebellion (1904)

The second Sassun rebellion was also instigated by the Dashnaktsutiun Committee. Antranik had the responsibility to organize the attacks of the armed bands. Although the Dashnaks, who since 1897 had begun to enter the Ottoman land from Iran and through the Van region and attack the Kurdish tribes, the actual rebellion began to spread from 1903 onward. K. Kukulyan, writes about the Antranik's attacks in his book entitled "The Antranik Battles" published in 1929 in Beirut:

"In April 1904, the Armenian rebellions spreadfrom the hills of Sassun and the plain of Mush to Van. The Consuls mediated and offered an agreement with Antranik. Among the band leaders were the renowned Dashnak Committee members of Mush and Sassun, Murad of Sivas, Sebuk, Kevork Mko, and the new revolutionary Sempad... The Dashnaktsutiun bureau met with the representatives of the Mush Central Committee, and chose Antranik to be the commander. Sebuk was seriously wounded. Keork of Akcha died. The renowned Hirayr, who did not want to leave Sebuk to the enemies, and tried to take him along, was also shot. "

According to Armenian sources about one thousand Turks and just 19 Armenians were killed during the confrontations.