Ağa, Topal Osman

The son of a merchant from Giresun, Ağa (1884-1923) was a militia commander. He participated as a volunteer in the Balkan Wars and in WWI – for which he gathered a troop – especially on the eastern front. He participated in the massacres of Armenians as an inductee of the «special organization» of the Union and Progress Committee. He proclaimed himself Mayor of Giresun in 1918. In 1919 he was pursued for his participation in the massacres of Armenians and went underground for a while. With his associates, he ferociously repressed the Pontus uprisings led by Greek militias, began to organize the local resistance movement and later got in touch with Mustafa Kemal. He participated in the Erzurum Congress. In 1920 he founded and headed a voluntary battalion from Giresun that served as the armed guard of Mustafa Kemal in Ankara. He also initiated the creation of the other voluntary battalions; he was appointed as a battalion commander in the repression of the Koçgiri rebellion. He then served as a commander in the Sakarya battle. He was held responsible for the murder of an oppositional Trabzon MP in 1922 and died in 1923 while fighting against a detachment sent to arrest him.