File 1341/1921 Pt 1 'Khorassan Intelligence Summaries 1921-1922' [‎526r] (699/1080)

178. Cis-Frontier.
Banpargaz.—A news-letter dated 13th July states :—•
(i) On the 12 th before noon the Turkmen raided Qara Su by land and river
and pillaged the place. The people fled to Bandargaz. A party of
50 gendarmes left for the scene of the raid and dispersed the Turkmen.
(ii) Arrivals from Enzalli say that fighting is going on between the Bolsheviks
and Communists at Baku. A similar state of things existed at
Petrovsk with the result that the city was set on fire.
(Hi) Arrivals from Krasnovodsk say that refugees from Petrovsk arrive
- • there in great numbers but that on account of the scarcity of food
they move on to Askhabad.
(iv) On the 10 th July 42 Bolsheviks arrived at Bandargaz from Tehran en
route to Baku. They are held up in the port owing to the non
arrival of a steamer, perhaps owing to troubles at Baku. They are
well clothed and spend much money. One is a Georgian, 2 are
Armenians and the remainder Caucasians.
Bujnurd.—I nformation dated 16th July is as follows
li) News has been received that a detachment of 150 mounted men de
trained at Archman and moved to Kizil Arvat whence they were
despatched to Qara Qala. They had with them 4 machine guns,
two of which were Maxims, and 18 boxes of ammunition.^ They
explained their mission as one for preventing incursions by Yomuds
and for strengthening frontier posts. They expected also that their
presence would have a desired effect upon the rural population in the
matter of a new system of requisition and collection of wheat, cattle
and fodder.
(H) The registration of horned cattle, even of poultry, is m progress. The
^ authorities say that the Bolsheviks intend to collect one-tenth of
all possessions. Yet even after the registration and enumeration no
one knows vhat further arrangements they will make, there has
been no harvest in nearly all districts and hunger is beginning to
make itself felt.
(Hi) Some news of Juneid Khan’s fortunes is beginning to come through
(m) After the want of success of the columns despatched from Transcaspia
the Bolsheviks launched an expedition against him from Klnva.
He destroyed the advanced troops, attacked those following an pu
them to flight, poisoning all wells between himself and the Bolshe
main body which remained immobilized, not daring to advance.
Juneid Khan for his part could not make up his mmd to attack and
eventually retreated south-west while the Bolsheviks returned to
Khiva. Subsequently the Khan returned to his original camp at the
wells of Laili.
liv) All is quiet on the (Persian) Turkmen steppe but a fresh expedition
against them is expected from Astarabad.
{V) M They ^ndfomkeYr X tr^R&TU^n^tian
territory among the Yomuds, their tribal kinsmen.
BAJGiBAN.-See under Askhabad.
YAKGt QABA.-The Turkmen refugee chief, Colonel Haji Murad, writes dated
14th July confirmed a detachment of 150 frontier-
(i) According to news receive winning of July and was distributed
^ 1 men arrived at Garmab at the beginnmg y ^
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