A base used by modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in World War I was found by the Turkish Armed forces (TAF) in Rajo, a town in Syria’s Afrin region.
Rajo was recently cleared of terror elements as part of Operation Olive Branch, which was launched on Jan. 20 to clear YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists from Afrin.
Dr. Süleyman Hatipoğlu, a professor at Turkey’s Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, said that Atatürk, who served as the 7th Army Commander in Palestine in 1918, first went to Aleppo in October and then to Afrin in October the same year. Atatürk and his troops were positioned at the Qatma train station in Rajo.
Atatürk who gathered together a network of resistance consisting of Kurds and Arabs, established a militia force to support military units. He secured the logistics line by remaining in close contact with units in Turkey’s Kilis.
The front that extended from Iskenderun, Reyhanlı, Kırıkhan, Belen, Der al Jamal and Tell Rifaat were protected by Atatürk. The British army, heading south from Afrin, faced the 7th Army in Qatma on Oct. 26, 1918.
The Ottoman army under the command of Atatürk, joined by the locals, triumphed over the British in Qatma.
According to Kurdish president of the local assembly, Ibrahim Halil Ali, the stone home of Hanıf Ağa was turned into a base while Atatürk remained in the district. The home is located in the most central point of the Haji Halil village, which is in Afrin’s center.
The base is now in ruins due to lack of care.
“We have not forgotten this region’s history. The Ottoman army was stationed here. Our meaningful history must not be forgotten. We hope the home can be repaired to its former glory,” said Halil Ali.
Atatürk’s distinguished military career included repelling the Allied invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula in 1915 and then rallying Turkey to withstand the Allies’ attempt to carve up Turkey after World War I in the War of Independence.
As Turkey’s first president, Atatürk transformed the country through a wide-ranging series of modernizing reforms.
