Some 1,250 Turkish Cypriots crossed through the Limnitis roadblock towards Kokkina on Saturday to attend annual events marking the 62nd anniversary of the Turkish air force bombings of Tillyria in 1964.

The commemorations in Kokkina began at 10am, with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman travelling to the area by helicopter.

The anniversary marks the Turkish air force attacks on Tillyria between August 7 and 9, 1964.

The bombings resulted in both military and civilian casualties, with the Turks having employed napalm during the air raids.

At the Kokkina ceremony, Erhurman said the Turkish Cypriots who fought during the period had made “the greatest sacrifice” to protect their community, adding that their struggle continued to guide them.

He said the responsibility of the present generation was to work towards a future “where peace, justice, and security prevail” and ensure that the suffering of the past was not repeated.

1964 intercomunal violence occurred following the collapse of the constitutional order in 1963, after the Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the government having rejected Archbishop Makarios’ thirteen-point amendment to the constitution.

The Turkish Cypriot insurgency, TMT, regarded the Kokkina and Mansoura enclaves as a vital supply route, with the Greek Cypriots considering them an illegal channel for weapons and a potential bridgehead for Turkish intervention.

The fighting intensified after National Guard forces captured strategic positions around the enclave on August 7.

Turkey subsequently intervened, with its air force bombing positions and populated areas on August 8 and 9.

Air raids were reported at Pachyammos, Pomos, Ayios Theodoros and Kato Pyrgos, with the hospital at Pachyammos also being bombed.

55 Greek Cypriots and Greeks were killed, including 28 civilians, while 125 military personnel and civilians were wounded.

Among those killed were six Greek sailors and Cypriot volunteer Antis Filitas who died after the patrol vessel Phaeton was bombarded by Turkish aircraft in Xeros Bay.

The fighting ended following international pressure, when the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 193 on August 9 calling for an immediate ceasefire, while then US president Lyndon B Johnson pressed both Ankara and Nicosia to halt military operations.

Kato Pyrgos mukhtar Nikos Cleanthous said the anniversary remained a day to honour those killed, arguing that Tillyria “paid a heavy price” in 1964.

He also called for the opening of the Kokkina crossing, saying its continued closure had contributed to the isolation and population decline of the area.

The crossings for Saturday’s commemoration took place with the involvement of Unficyp.