Esref Bitlis
Encyclopedia
Eşref Bitlis was a general in the Turkish Gendarmerie
, who died in a mysterious plane crash.
, Turkey
. He attended the Turkish Military Academy, finishing it in 1952 in the rank of a Lieutenant
. In 1966, he graduated from the War Academy of the Army .
After completing a language course in Germany
, Bitlis studied further at the Academy of the Turkish Armed Forces , graduating in 1969. Later, he was educated at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr
, the highest military academy of the German armed forces
. Following his graduation in Germany in 1973, Bitlis returned home and served one year as head teacher
at the War Academy of the Army.
In 1978, Eşref Bitlis was promoted to Brigadier General
and appointed commander of the 2nd Commando Brigade in Bolu, a mountain warfare
specialized unit. After becoming a Major General
in 1978, he assumed the command of the 28th Infantry Division, headquartered in the Paşaköy village of Nicosia
, Cyprus
. In 1986, he advanced to the rank of a Lieutenant General
. Bitlis was appointed commander of the Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces. Two years later in 1990, he became an Army General
and chief of the Turkish Gendarmerie.
. He switched airplanes when the pilot realized the cockpit was out of order. His Beechcraft Super King Air
B-200 crashed minutes after taking off from the air base. Bitlis, his aide-de-camp
Fahir Işık, technician Emir Öner and the pilots, who had VIP green card certification for excellence in flying, died in the crash. The chief of staff, Gen. Doğan Güreş, said the accident was due to atmospheric icing
but this has been denied by the manufacturer and experts from Istanbul Technical University
and Middle East Technical University
. According to the Etimesgut Air Base
Weather Department's weather report for that day, there was no ice accumulation: "Calm, windy, 1,500 meters visibility, snowy, low clouds affected. Cloud level 800 feet, peak 8,000 feet. The weather is completely overcast. The temperature is -4 degrees and the pressure is 1,018 milibars."
The Turkish Daily News
interviewed an army general, who was familiar with Bitlis about the motives for his killing. The general said that the commander of the Joint United States Military Mission for Aid to Turkey (JUSMMAT) complained about Bitlis to the chief of staff for collecting information about illegal activities pertaining to Operation Provide Comfort
(OPC). Other OPC officers also complained to Washington
. Bitlis aggressively opposed American designs; he had allegedly dismissed Americans supporting the Turkish Gendarmerie as well as CIA agents operating from humanitarian organizations active in the region. The interviewed general said that Bitlis had discovered arms intended for Jalal Talabani
and Massoud Barzani
concealed in crates purportedly containing food. As a "sworn anti-American", the general said that the Americans may have had a hand in Bitlis' death. According to another source, Bitlis was given photographs taken by JITEM operatives depicting three OPC helicopters distributing materiel to the PKK on 10 December 1992. Such acts led Bitlis to conclude that America was intent on establishing a Kurdish state encompassing Turkey. Bitlis proposed to solve the PKK conflict by severing its logistical support. To this end, he suggested establishing relations with neighboring countries. The National Security Council
accepted his "Castle Plan" and it was posthumously put into action, by which two other important figures, Cem Ersever, and journalist Uğur Mumcu
were assassinated.
Gendarmerie commander Cem Ersever, who had been in charge of the JİTEM group's southeastern operations, left the army in June 1994. He was allegedly in contact with the PKK through the Syrian intelligence service and the American special forces. Bitlis was fighting the PKK, and therefore on bad terms with Ersever. For this reason, some speculate that Ersever may have been responsible for Bitlis' death. Ersever himself was killed in 4 November 1993, along with his girlfriend Nevval Boz
and right-hand man Mustafa Deniz
, some suggest to cover up Bitlis' death. JITEM fugitive Abdülkadir Aygan suspects Veli Küçük, who is currently detained in the Ergenekon investigation, of having ordered Ersever's death. Ersever was resentful towards Küçük of being shunted to Ankara after the scandal surrounding Bitlis' death, perceiving Küçük as taking the credit for his achievements.
Journalist Metin Kaplan offers a polar opposite account. Kaplan says that Ersever and Bitlis were in fact close friends, who were killed by American agents, and that Mustafa Deniz is still alive. Kaplan thinks it unlikely that Ersever killed Bitlis considering their alleged closeness, and the fact that Ersever was poor; he allegedly received pocket money from his publisher. Kaplan says that a person tasked with carrying out an assassination for a foreign government would be well funded. Kaplan also says that the air base Bitlis departed from quartered two JUSMMAT planes, and two American technicians, who likely had access to Bitlis' plane. Ultimately, Kaplan concludes that the Turkish military was aware that the Americans did it, but covered it up to maintain good relations.
Recently uncovered evidence suggests that his death and that of Mumcu may be related to the shadowy Ergenekon network
. Both Bitlis and Mumcu were investigating how Jalal Talabani, one of the Kurdish leaders of northern Iraq, came into possession of 100,000 firearms belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces
. However, the Ergenekon case is still in progress, and alternative explanations have been proffered to explain Mumcu's death (such as that Ersever did do it).
He was survived by his spouse Şükran and son Tarık.
Prosecutor Hüseyin Görüşen, who is in charge of struggle against terrorism and organized crime, was tasked with the investigation to find out the real cause of the plane crash in 1993. The military prosecutor at the Turkish General Staff, who was responsible for the crash investigation, had closed the file with the finding that Bitlis' airplane crash was an accident without any human involvement. However, serious allegations were made by suspects in the ongoing Ergenekon trial that the crash was an assassination.
Turkish Gendarmerie
The Turkish Gendarmerie is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces and it is responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police forces , as well as assuring internal security and general border control along with carrying out other specific...
, who died in a mysterious plane crash.
Early life and career
He was born 1933 in the eastern Anatolian city of MalatyaMalatya
Malatya ) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of its eponymous province.-Overview:The city site has been occupied for thousands of years. The Assyrians called the city Meliddu. Following Roman expansion into the east, the city was renamed in Latin as Melitene...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. He attended the Turkish Military Academy, finishing it in 1952 in the rank of a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. In 1966, he graduated from the War Academy of the Army .
After completing a language course in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Bitlis studied further at the Academy of the Turkish Armed Forces , graduating in 1969. Later, he was educated at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr
Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr
The Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr is the highest military academy of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr. Established in 1957, and since 1958 located in Hamburg, it is the successor of the Prussian Military Academy that was established in 1810...
, the highest military academy of the German armed forces
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
. Following his graduation in Germany in 1973, Bitlis returned home and served one year as head teacher
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
at the War Academy of the Army.
In 1978, Eşref Bitlis was promoted to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
and appointed commander of the 2nd Commando Brigade in Bolu, a mountain warfare
Mountain warfare
Mountain warfare refers to warfare in the mountains or similarly rough terrain. This type of warfare is also called Alpine warfare, named after the Alps mountains...
specialized unit. After becoming a Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in 1978, he assumed the command of the 28th Infantry Division, headquartered in the Paşaköy village of Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. In 1986, he advanced to the rank of a Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. Bitlis was appointed commander of the Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces. Two years later in 1990, he became an Army General
Army General
For the army rank of General, as opposed to the specific rank of Army General, see General officer.Army General is a title used in many countries to denote the rank of General nominally commanding an army in the field...
and chief of the Turkish Gendarmerie.
Airplane crash
On February 17, 1993, a snowy day, Bitlis was on an official trip by plane from the Güvercinlik Army Air Base in AnkaraAnkara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
. He switched airplanes when the pilot realized the cockpit was out of order. His Beechcraft Super King Air
Beechcraft Super King Air
The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series...
B-200 crashed minutes after taking off from the air base. Bitlis, his aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
Fahir Işık, technician Emir Öner and the pilots, who had VIP green card certification for excellence in flying, died in the crash. The chief of staff, Gen. Doğan Güreş, said the accident was due to atmospheric icing
Atmospheric icing
Atmospheric icing occurs when water droplets in the atmosphere freeze on objects they contact. This can be extremely dangerous to aircraft, as the built-up ice changes the aerodynamics of the flight surfaces, which can increase the risk of a subsequent stalling of the airfoil...
but this has been denied by the manufacturer and experts from Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul Technical University is an international technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third oldest technical university dedicated to engineering sciences as well as social sciences recently, and is one of the most prominent educational institutions in Turkey...
and Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
. According to the Etimesgut Air Base
Etimesgut Air Base
Etimesgut Air Base is an airbase of the Turkish Air Force located west of Ankara, Turkey. It is owned by Turkish Air Force and jointly operated by the air force and the Turkish Aeronautical Association . International Defense Industry, Aerospace and Maritime Fair and civil aviation airshows...
Weather Department's weather report for that day, there was no ice accumulation: "Calm, windy, 1,500 meters visibility, snowy, low clouds affected. Cloud level 800 feet, peak 8,000 feet. The weather is completely overcast. The temperature is -4 degrees and the pressure is 1,018 milibars."
The Turkish Daily News
Turkish Daily News
The Hürriyet Daily News, formerly Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey....
interviewed an army general, who was familiar with Bitlis about the motives for his killing. The general said that the commander of the Joint United States Military Mission for Aid to Turkey (JUSMMAT) complained about Bitlis to the chief of staff for collecting information about illegal activities pertaining to Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations by the United States and some of its Gulf War allies, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and deliver humanitarian aid to them.-Operation...
(OPC). Other OPC officers also complained to Washington
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
. Bitlis aggressively opposed American designs; he had allegedly dismissed Americans supporting the Turkish Gendarmerie as well as CIA agents operating from humanitarian organizations active in the region. The interviewed general said that Bitlis had discovered arms intended for Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish....
and Massoud Barzani
Massoud Barzani
Massoud Barzani is the current President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Barzani was born in Mahabad, Iran, during the rule of the Republic of Mahabad...
concealed in crates purportedly containing food. As a "sworn anti-American", the general said that the Americans may have had a hand in Bitlis' death. According to another source, Bitlis was given photographs taken by JITEM operatives depicting three OPC helicopters distributing materiel to the PKK on 10 December 1992. Such acts led Bitlis to conclude that America was intent on establishing a Kurdish state encompassing Turkey. Bitlis proposed to solve the PKK conflict by severing its logistical support. To this end, he suggested establishing relations with neighboring countries. The National Security Council
National Security Council (Turkey)
The National Security Council comprises the Chief of Staff, select members of the Council of Ministers, and the President of the Republic...
accepted his "Castle Plan" and it was posthumously put into action, by which two other important figures, Cem Ersever, and journalist Uğur Mumcu
Ugur Mumcu
Uğur Mumcu was an intrepid Turkish investigative journalist for the leading Kemalist broadsheet, Cumhuriyet. He was assassinated with a bomb placed in his car, outside his home.- Biography :...
were assassinated.
Gendarmerie commander Cem Ersever, who had been in charge of the JİTEM group's southeastern operations, left the army in June 1994. He was allegedly in contact with the PKK through the Syrian intelligence service and the American special forces. Bitlis was fighting the PKK, and therefore on bad terms with Ersever. For this reason, some speculate that Ersever may have been responsible for Bitlis' death. Ersever himself was killed in 4 November 1993, along with his girlfriend Nevval Boz
Nevval Boz
Nevval Boz was a Turkish woman who was killed, according to some as part of a cover-up of the suspected assassination of general Eşref Bitlis, who died in a mysterious plane crash....
and right-hand man Mustafa Deniz
Ihsan Hakan
İhsan Hakan , also known as Mustafa Deniz, was a PKK defector who was killed, according to some as part of a cover-up of the suspected assassination of general Eşref Bitlis, in a mysterious plane crash....
, some suggest to cover up Bitlis' death. JITEM fugitive Abdülkadir Aygan suspects Veli Küçük, who is currently detained in the Ergenekon investigation, of having ordered Ersever's death. Ersever was resentful towards Küçük of being shunted to Ankara after the scandal surrounding Bitlis' death, perceiving Küçük as taking the credit for his achievements.
Journalist Metin Kaplan offers a polar opposite account. Kaplan says that Ersever and Bitlis were in fact close friends, who were killed by American agents, and that Mustafa Deniz is still alive. Kaplan thinks it unlikely that Ersever killed Bitlis considering their alleged closeness, and the fact that Ersever was poor; he allegedly received pocket money from his publisher. Kaplan says that a person tasked with carrying out an assassination for a foreign government would be well funded. Kaplan also says that the air base Bitlis departed from quartered two JUSMMAT planes, and two American technicians, who likely had access to Bitlis' plane. Ultimately, Kaplan concludes that the Turkish military was aware that the Americans did it, but covered it up to maintain good relations.
Recently uncovered evidence suggests that his death and that of Mumcu may be related to the shadowy Ergenekon network
Ergenekon network
Ergenekon is the name given to an alleged clandestine, Kemalist ultra-nationalist organization in Turkey with possible ties to members of the country's military and security forces...
. Both Bitlis and Mumcu were investigating how Jalal Talabani, one of the Kurdish leaders of northern Iraq, came into possession of 100,000 firearms belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces
Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. They consist of the Army, the Navy , and the Air Force...
. However, the Ergenekon case is still in progress, and alternative explanations have been proffered to explain Mumcu's death (such as that Ersever did do it).
He was survived by his spouse Şükran and son Tarık.
Reopening of the death case
On September 30, 2010, the office of the chief public prosecutor in Ankara reopened the case relating to the death of Eşref Bitlis on the basis of some news recently published in the Turkish media.Prosecutor Hüseyin Görüşen, who is in charge of struggle against terrorism and organized crime, was tasked with the investigation to find out the real cause of the plane crash in 1993. The military prosecutor at the Turkish General Staff, who was responsible for the crash investigation, had closed the file with the finding that Bitlis' airplane crash was an accident without any human involvement. However, serious allegations were made by suspects in the ongoing Ergenekon trial that the crash was an assassination.