Agia Tellyria: The participation of the Polemites in the bloody operationtranslated

By Anastasia Siakalli

For three consecutive days, August 7, 8, and 9, 1964, the Turkish Air Force rained napalm bombs over the villages of the Tellyria region. They were thrown with the aim of exterminating the Greek population there, so that they could easily connect the Kokkinon-Mansoura bridgehead with the rest of the areas and create an enclave. Already, a month before, they occupied the strategically important Lorovounos hill, and this strengthened their power.

On August 7, the first day of the bombing, the newly formed National Guard reacted and counterattacked to liberate the occupied territories and to save the civilian population of the villages in the area from the enemies. Among them were the Soldiers of the nearby village of Tellyria, of the 85th company, who witnessed the horrible spectacle of the death and injuries of the victims of the bombs. Napalms are incendiary bombs, which burn everything and which according to international conventions should not be used in military operations, especially against civilians. The Turks, however, used them.

And while Tellyria was being bombarded, on August 8, the Headquarters of Paphos called the Polemites, to...