Siege of Aintab

Battle context

The Siege of Aintab was part of the broader Franco-Turkish War, in which Turkish National Forces (Kuva-yi Milliye) contested French occupation of Anatolia during the Turkish War of Independence. At Aintab, a Turkish force of roughly 2,920 fighters engaged a French garrison of approximately 12,000 under General Henri Gouraud. The disparity in force size and the recorded Turkish casualty figure of over 6,300 against French losses of around 1,600 reflect the intensity and cost of the resistance. The engagement was one of several sieges in southern Anatolia through which Turkish nationalist forces sought to pressure French-held positions, contributing to the attrition that eventually led France to negotiate the Ankara Agreement of 1921 and withdraw from the region. Aintab's protracted resistance became a symbol of nationalist resolve during the independence struggle, and the city was later awarded the honorific prefix 'Gazi' by the Grand National Assembly in recognition of its defense.