Paşa, Nurettin

It is contested whether Nurettin Paşa (Bursa, 1873 - Istanbul, 1932) graduated from the War Academy or not. He joined the Turco-Greek War of 1897 as a volunteer. In the Balkan War and the First World War, he excelled in the military hierarchy and became one of the key commanders of the Ottoman Army. In 1919, he was briefly assigned as the Vice-Governor of Izmir and Aydın. Paşa tried to act as a mediator between Istanbul and Ankara. The Ottoman government removed him from office, since he attempted to resist the Greek occupation. He joined the War of Independence in 1920 and became a close collaborator with Mustafa Kemal. He was appointed as the Commander of the newly formed Central Army and ordered to repress the uprisings (especially the Pontus revolts after 1920 and the Koçgiri revolt in 1921). His violent methods condemned, he was removed from his position in November 1921. However, Nurettin Paşa was appointed as the Commander of the First Army in 1922 and became an MP for Bursa in 1925.