File 1341/1921 Pt 1 'Khorassan Intelligence Summaries 1921-1922' [‎481r] (609/1080)

Most of the inhabitants have been prepared to emigrate to Bokhara but have
been officially forbidden to do so. They held a monster meeting about the 20th
July and elected four representatives to go to Tashkent to lay their case before the
Government there. In default of an improvement in the conditions of life, they
demand to be allowed to emigrate.
The regular train service is one every second day. Oil trains run every day.
It was advertised that after 1st August all restrictions on public movement on the
railway would be removed and passengers charged ordinary fares. The recent
soaring of railway charges rather belies this.
The Military Komissar is Ivanov. Civil Komissar is Haq Verdi.
Kokand. July 26th. —The same story of destitution is brought from this,
the headquarters of the Ferghana command. The public issue of wearing material
to women is 5 yards of locally woven cloth every six months and to children,
2 yard *.
About the middle of July, or a little earlier, a rebel force descended from the
hills and captured Nikaoranj from the Bolsheviks who retired to Kokand. They
destroyed part of the railway line and intended to wreck the coal and oil fields.
Beinforcements were sent from Tashkent, also two armoured trains. The rebels
were driven back to the hills and the line restored to Margilan.
It was generally believed that the rebels had surrounded Margilan and that
many mutinous Bolshevik troops were joining them. No reliable news had,
however, come through up to the time of the report.
194. Bolshevik Garrisons.
Baku. July 25th. —Garrison reported as 10,000 which is doubtful on account
of scarcity and the difficulty of subsisting troops. Of the above, 2,000 are said to be
in Fort Taqi, and a detachment with-six guns and machine guns at Chyerni Gard.
Some of the troops are quartered in the Salayaniski, Kubanski, and Chadroiski
Barracks. (The transliteration of narrator’s pronunciation does not necessarily
give the exact nomenclature of these barracks.)
All commanding positions are mounted with guns and connected by telephone.
There are three guns on Bibi Haiyat Hill. Five armoured cars have been seen
parked in the town. There are twelve aeroplanes in the Baku military area and
also a factory An East India Company trading post. for the same. There were two war ships and several submarines in
harbour at the time of the report. There are shipbuilding and repairing docks.
Two armoured trains were present. One has gone away (probably for opera
tions against partizan bands) and the other, consisting of an engine and 4 wagons
remained.
Krasnovodsk. August 1st. —Garrison 550, majority Bussians. Of this
number, 200 are mounted. Detachments from various regiments compose the
total. The 3rd, 4th, and 7th Chernyevo Regiments are mentioned in this
connection.
Askhabad.—N o change reported in the garrison which remains at about 2,000
A correspondent wrote that at the recent visit of the General Officer Commanding
Turkfront all and sundry were whipped in, given rifles, and made to parade to swell
the actual numbers. This is true in a sense for the rank and file of the “ Trans-
caspia Territorial Regiment ” were swept up and made to parade.
Qara Qala. August 6th. —Fifty and 2 machine guns.
Kohna Kesar to Qara Qala inclusive. August 9th. —Fife hundred and
fifty with nine machine guns.
Kaakhka. 50 men. —Another report states that the 3rd Sart Regiment
arrived on the 31st July but there is no confirmation of this.
Khivabad. 50. Russian Archangan, 17 mounted, 15 infantry (August
6 th).
C429FD