Once war broke out, in the very first months of hostilities massacres were carried out under the cover of the fighting, in the Artvin, Ardahan and Ardanuc areas, all of which were under the direction of the Special Organization. Ahmet Refik quotes a German journalist who witnessed some of these events: "You should see . . . just how cruel their actions were! Curse them. . . ! They have no regard for Muslims, for Christians, for anything." Johannes Lepsius gives detailed figures for the number of people killed in the massacres in the area. "The villages in the areas of Ardanuc and Oltu . . . were pillaged. 1,276 Armenians were killed. . . . The number of Armenians killed in the Artvin and Ardanuc region is estimated at seven thousand." The leaders of the Special Organization units involved in the massacres include many who would later play significant roles in the later Turkish War of Independence, such as Deli Halit Pasa, Yeni- bahceli Nail and Topal Osman.
