On 20 July 1974, Turkish forces invaded Cyprus by sea and air. Codenamed Operation Atilla, the attack came five days after the Greek-sponsored Cypriot coup d'état on 15 July, and led to the partition of Cyprus along the UN-monitored Green Line, which still divides Cyprus between the south and the Turkish-occupied north to this day.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the invasion, ITN Archive presents a number of reports covering the first three days of the conflict. ITN's Michael Nicholson was at the scene on 20 July when Turkish paratroopers dropped onto the open plains near Gönyeli, on the road between the capital, Nicosia, and the coastal city of Kyrenia. Meanwhile, ITN's Christopher Wain reported on the first day of fighting in Nicosia, from inside the besieged Ledra Palace Hotel. On 21 July, Nicholson reported on the large-scale evacuation under United Nations protection of foreign nationals from Cyprus, some of whom were interviewed the next day by Mark Andrews as they arrived in London. On 22 July, Nicholson reported on the weekend's fighting in Nicosia, and shared the dramatic story of how he and camera operators Alan Downes and Robert "Bob" Hammond were caught in crossfire before being saved by a UN patrol. Lastly, on 22 July, Chris Wain reported from a Turkish refugee camp near the British military base in Episkopi. Wain saw the camp as a reminder not only of the human cost of the conflict but also of the depth of British involvement in the Cyprus crisis.
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