Battle of Kars (1920)
40°36′28″N 43°05′45″E / 40.60778°N 43.09583°E
| Battle of Kars | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Turkish invasion of Armenia | |||||||
 Armenian civilians fleeing Kars after its capture by Kazım Karabekir's forces. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Armenia |
 Ankara Government | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Movses Silikian Daniel Bek-Pirumian (POW) Harutiun Hovsepian Hovhannes Ghazarian (POW) |
Kâzım Karabekir Halit Karsıalan Osman Nuri Koptagel Rüştü Pasha | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~10,000 regulars (excluding auxiliary units) | >25,000 (XV Army Corps regulars and irregulars) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 500–1,110 killed, ~2,000 captured | 9 killed, 42 wounded (Turkish report) | ||||||
The Battle of Kars was the largest battle of the Turkish invasion of Armenia, which took place on October 30, 1920. It was fought between forces loyal to the Grand National Assembly under the command of Kâzım Karabekir and the army of the First Republic of Armenia. Karabekir's army captured the fortified city of Kars after launching a massive assault, taking minor casualties and capturing around 3,000 Armenian soldiers, as well as several high-ranking Armenian military officers and civilian officials. The swift capture of Kars opened the path for Turkish forces to advance towards Armenia's largest city at the time, Alexandropol, and effectively decided solidified Turkey's invasion and occupation of Armenian territory.