KARS
Thousands of Turks having come together under "The Turkey’s Martyrs Walk" began walking today morning to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the Turkish Sarikamis campaign, during which around 90 thousand Turkish soldiers froze to death on December 22, 1914.
Thousands of people gathered at a site called Kizilcubuk, the beginning point of the Sarikamis campaign, which aimed at beating the Russian Caucasus Army that gathered in the Turkish areas of Sarikamis, Selim and Kars during World War I.
Kars Mufti Mehmet Genc and his retinues recited the Holy Qoran while the citizens prayed. Turkey’s Youth and Sports Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic, Kars Governor Eyup Tepe and AK Party’s Kars deputies Ahmet Arslan and Yunus Kilic attended the ceremony, accompanied by numerous military officials.
Emphasizing that people have gathered to walk in the footsteps of their ancestors that were martyred on the same path, Kilic said, ‘’we are here to honour the lives that were sacrificed.’’
‘’We gratefully remember, with goodness and mercy, our brothers and sisters who died for this country, for this nation, for our faith and for our flag,’’ Kilic said.
Kilic and his retinue began the 8.5 kilometers (5 miles) walk which will end in the Sarikamis cemetery.
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