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Armenia: An Armenian fedayeen or freedom fighter c. 1910

Armenia: An Armenian <i>fedayeen</i> or freedom fighter c. 1910

In the 19th century, the name 'Fedayee' (meaning freedom fighter), with the same etymology, was used by Armenians who formed guerrilla organizations and armed bands in reaction to the oppression and unchecked murder of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

In the early 1990s, when the dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh erupted into the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the term was used by Armenians to describe Armenian irregular units operating in the region. The term was widely used and is still used to describe the volunteers, and can be found in literature and Armenian revolutionary songs.

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