Battle of Urfa

Overview

The Battle of Urfa was an uprising in the spring of 1920 against the French army occupying the city of Urfa by the Turkish National Forces. The French garrison of Urfa held out for two months until it sued for negotiations with the Turks for safe conduct out of the city. The Turks reneged on their promises, however, and the French unit was killed in an ambush staged by the Turkish Nationalists during its retreat from Urfa.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Urfa was an uprising by the Turkish National Forces against the French garrison occupying the city of Urfa during the Franco-Turkish War. After holding out for two months, the French garrison negotiated terms for safe conduct out of the city. The Turks did not honor the agreement, and the French unit was ambushed and destroyed during its retreat. The outcome demonstrated the capacity of Kuva-yi Milliye forces under Ali Saip Bey to expel an occupying French garrison and set a precedent for Turkish nationalist resistance against French-held positions across the region during this phase of the conflict.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (1)