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Why were Armenian soldiers transferred into labour battalions during World War I?

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Uncovering the history of the Armenian Genocide — Armenian Genocide Overview of the history and controversy surrounding the Armenian Genocide.

Following the Ottoman Empire's devastating defeat at the Battle of Sarikamis in January 1915, the Young Turk government sought to deflect blame for the loss away from their own poor generalship and the harsh environmental conditions. They falsely accused Armenian soldiers and other non-Muslims serving in the Ottoman army of treachery and collusion with foreign powers.12

As a result of this scapegoating, Armenian soldiers were demobilized and transferred into labour battalions. This process effectively disarmed them, leaving them vulnerable to systematic murder by Ottoman troops. These soldiers became the first victims of what would escalate into the Armenian Genocide, a campaign of state-sponsored mass murder and deportation that targeted the Armenian population throughout the World War I era.2