Kuhnashahir incident

The Kuhnashahir incident refers to the events that took place on 3 March 1918, when the Assyrian patriarch Mar Shimun XIX Benyamin along with his 150 bodyguards were assassinated by the Kurdish chieftain Simko Shikak in the town of Kuhnashahir, Salmas, under a truce flag.Reforging a Forgotten History: Iraq and the Assyrians in the Twentieth Century by Sargon Donabed. Edinburgh University Press.

 Background 
Following the  Urmiah clashes in February 1918 The governor of Tabriz, Mukht-i Shams, approached Simko. During which Simko invited Mar Shimun, the religious leader of the Assyrians, for talks on a proposed Alliegance.

 Incident 
At the meeting, Mar Shimun kissed Simko "as a mark of affection," while Simko, "ever the courteous host, accompanied his guest to the carriage," kissed Mar Shimun's hand, and then turned back into the house. According to one account, just as the Assyrian leader was about to step into the carriage, Simko shot him in the back. The shot acted as a signal to Simko's men, who were positioned on nearby rooftops, to open fire on Mar Shimun’s entourage, killing most of them. Mar Shimun, wounded by the initial shot, was then shot again and killed by Simko’s younger brother, Ali Agha.

References

Category:20th-century conflicts
Category:20th century in Iran
Category:Wars involving Asia
Category:Kurdish people