Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ya kafa motsi na Turkiyya na kasa da abokan adawa a Samsun a ranar 19 ga Mayu, 1919, ranar da aka saba da ita a farkon yakin Turkiyya na Independence. Atatürk, wanda gwamnatin Ottoman ta nada a matsayin Sufeto na Rundunar Sojojin Sojoji na Tara na Daular a gabashin Anatolia, ya bar Constantinople a cikin shahararren 16 ga Mayu zuwa Samsun. Maimakon yin biyayya ga umarnin gwamnatin Ottoman, sannan a karkashin ikon Allies masu mamayewa, shi da wasu abokan aikinsa sun ayyana farkon motsi na Turkiyya. A sakamakon haka, jama'ar Girkawa na Samsun sun kasance masu fashi, kisan kai, da kuma fitarwa
da kungiyoyin Turkiyya ba bisa ka'ida ba, kamar yadda wakilan Amurka Near East Relief suka lura. Koyaya waɗannan ƙungiyoyin ba za su iya yin aiki da yardar kaina a Samsun kamar yadda suka yi a yankin da ke kusa da Merzifon da Bafra ba saboda kasancewar rundunar Sojojin Allied. Kasancewa da damuwa saboda kasancewar jiragen yakin Girka a kusa da Samsun, kungiyar 'yan kasar Turkiyya ta aiwatar da korar' yan Girka 21,000 zuwa cikin Anatoliya. Daga baya, a farkon watan Yuni na shekara ta 1922, rundunar sojan ruwa na Ƙasashen da suka haɗa kai suka yi wa birnin ruwan bama-bamai.