But the oppressors still were not satisfied. With the world distracted by war. the Turkish leaders. in 1915. began a policy to exterminate the Armenian people. thus perpetrating the first genocide of the 20th century. Between 1915 and 1923. an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were tortured. killed outright or deported in massive death marches to the deserts of what is now Syria and Iraq. These carefully planned atrocities. which virtually eliminated the Armenian community of the Ottoman Empire. will always be remembered as one of the most starkly tragic and devastating episodes in modern history. Yet the resilient Armenian people survived.
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deported