Turkey's last independence war veteran dies at the age of 105
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Turkey's last war veteran, who fought in the country's "War of Independence" between 1919-1923, died Tuesday at the age of 105, the Anatolian Agency reported. (UPDATED)
Mustafa Sekip Birgol will be buried in Istanbul's Karacaahmet Cemetary on Friday, it added.
Born into the family of a naval officer in the Istanbul suburb of Uskudar in 1903, Birgol attended a military high school before joining the Turkish forces under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal fighting Allied partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after it was defeated in World War One.
Birgol fought as a second-lieutenant in the western province of Afyon and took part in the recapturing of Izmir from Greek forces in 1922.
With the "War of Independence", Turkey managed to force the Allies to abandon the partitioning of Anatolia and sign the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne which established the Republic of Turkey.
Birgol retired from the army in 1952 with the rank of colonel.
Photo: Orhan Saat