July 15 claim: 'Aksakallı was going to have us killed too, Akar stopped it'

On the 9th anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt, we once again heard similar statements, warnings, and rhetoric about democracy and national unity. However, the question marks surrounding that day were barely scrutinized.

Although the vast majority of the coup trials have concluded, there are cases being retried following reversal decisions by the Court of Cassation, and defendants are making new allegations within the scope of certain information and documents that have emerged over time. The General Staff Headquarters Case, which is being retried after a partial reversal by the Court of Cassation, is one of these.

In the trial continuing at the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court in the Sincan Prison Complex, former staff colonel Murat Korkmaz from the Special Forces Command (ÖKK) presented his defense last week. Korkmaz, who was awarded a medal of superior courage and self-sacrifice in November 2015 while holding the rank of lieutenant colonel with the approval of then-General Staff 2nd Chief Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar upon the recommendation of then-Special Forces Commander Zekai Aksakallı, stated that when he saw Aksakallı's statements on television on the night of July 15, saying, "Those at the General Staff are FETÖ members, they are coup plotters," he realized they were being drawn into a trap and moved his personnel to a passive duty status. He claimed that while they were surrendering the next day, Aksakallı had sent a battalion to kill them, but that the Chief of General Staff had prevented it.

IS INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION BEING HIDDEN FROM THE COURTS?

Murat Korkmaz, who argued that he went to the Presidential Guard Regiment on the evening of July 15 to conduct a protection and security exercise within the scope of what was formerly called irregular warfare and is now called "Non-Conventional Operations (NCO)" due to the MIT's warnings of attacks on the TSK at that time, and that he moved to the General Staff Headquarters from there upon the order of his superior, former staff colonel Fırat Alakuş, explained what he experienced starting from May as follows:

"I was on duty in Diyarbakır within the scope of the Counter-Terrorism Operation. In May, the then-General Staff Second Chief Yaşar Güler gave the order to reorganize the ÖKK warehouses. With this order, battalion commanders were given authorization for entry and exit to the warehouses. What was the reason? We were serving as a rapid response force due to the events in Diyarbakır and Nusaybin. I thought it was a good, necessary decision for rapid exit from the warehouses. Militarily, it is normal, but whether it was a preparation for July 15 is for you to judge. Likewise, a logistics inspection order was given on July 11. I have been requesting these orders for 9 years because it is alleged that I entered the warehouses by force. No answer was ever given. Finally, the court requested it in another case I am being tried in, but the ÖKK said, 'It could not be found in the archive. There is no information or document.' However, in the illegal Administrative Investigation Report prepared by ÖKK personnel after July 15 under the order of Zekai Aksakallı and also approved by Aksakallı, which formed the basis for the indictments, 'giving battalion commanders the authority to open warehouses' was listed among the reasons for the occurrence of the event."

HOW DID HE CONTINUE AS BATTALION COMMANDER?

Stating that when he completed his 2-year term as battalion commander on May 22, 2016, he was appointed as the ÖKK Intelligence Branch Planning and Coordination Officer, but that he was kept on as battalion commander by a written order given by Aksakallı even though he was supposed to start his new duty on June 10, and that he requested this order from the ÖKK but it was not provided, Korkmaz said the following:

"I was promoted to the rank of colonel on June 13 because I completed my doctoral education. A battalion commander is a lieutenant colonel or a major; there is no battalion commander at the rank of colonel. But to hide this, I am still referred to as a lieutenant colonel in many correspondences. Why was I kept in this duty; I have been asking this for 9 years. Let Zekai Aksakallı come and explain the reason. If I hadn't been kept on as a colonel, maybe I wouldn't be here. After I was arrested, I sent a letter to Aksakallı through a mutual acquaintance. A former colonel who is a lawyer came as an intermediary. Aksakallı read my letter. The lawyer said, 'He believes you are innocent. He believes you will be cleared before the law. His own situation is also critical.'"

Korkmaz continued his defense as follows:

"It is alleged that I came to the ÖKK on July 15 even though I was on leave. We came to Ankara with my battalion on July 4, completing our duty in Diyarbakır. After taking the holiday leave, I started work on July 11. Although I should have gone on leave because I completed my battalion command, my appointment to a new staff position was made, and I was planned to go to camp in August, I was kept on duty until July 18. Because the 2nd Special Forces Brigade Commander Ercan Çorbacı and the current Special Forces Commander, 4th Special Forces Group Commander Ömer Ertuğrul Erbakan, had gone on leave until July 18. It was unusual for two main subordinate unit commanders to go on leave at the same time. I was assigned to the 4th Force Command, and Fırat Alakuş, who had just started his duty, was assigned to the Brigade Command as acting commander. Again, in a very abnormal way, an order was given by Aksakallı for all personnel to carry their pistols inside the ÖKK barracks. When I went to report to Fırat Alakuş, he said that Aksakallı had given a protection and security exercise order and asked me to make preparations. My battalion consisted mostly of specialist sergeants. Since specialist sergeants were not given NCO training, it was not possible for me to conduct the exercise with them. Fırat Alakuş gave a list of 27 names, stating that reinforcements would be made from other battalions. I called them from my internal, external, and mobile phones or met with them face-to-face and asked them to be ready at the Presidential Guard Regiment. Finally, on July 14, intelligence of attacks on the TSK had come from MIT. After the preparations were finished, we loaded the weapons, equipment, and materials prepared on the evening of July 15 into the vehicle officially allocated by the command and left the barracks in accordance with the procedures. Namely; the vehicle stopped when it reached the gate. The vehicle's interior lighting lamps were turned on so that the guards could see the personnel inside. The vehicle commander got out, went to the gate guard officer, and had the vehicle dispatch order approved. The personnel also scanned their barracks ID cards on the control post device. Zekai Aksakallı had imposed an entry and exit ban on the barracks at 21:30. Our bus's departure time is 21:43. Then why did they let me out of the barracks? We gathered with the personnel at the Presidential Guard Regiment and started distributing the materials by signing them out under Fırat Alakuş's order. Upon Fırat Alakuş's order to urgently secure the General Staff barracks, I gave two non-commissioned officers the duty of guarding the materials and we set off. The bus that brought us had left. We set off with the civilian vehicles we could find."

WHO WERE THE PEOPLE WITH LONG-BARRELED WEAPONS?

Emphasizing that it is claimed in July 15 documentaries that they insulted the police blocking the General Staff intersection and fled into the headquarters, Murat Korkmaz explained the following regarding what happened during that process:

"Let the MOBESE footage be brought. We reached the General Staff intersection at 23:38. The police who set up the barricade started firing uncontrollably. As a result, two of my soldiers were wounded. I got out of the vehicle and spoke with the Deputy Police Chief of Ankara. I said that I had to go to the General Staff upon the order I received and that there was an abnormal situation. He called the Ankara Police Chief, but could not reach him. After a few phone calls, he allowed us to pass. Meanwhile, while we were talking, a white vehicle came up to us and asked, 'What is happening?' I don't know if it was Special Operations or SADAT; when we said, 'We are talking,' they said, 'Okay then, we will go up to the roof of the Parliament.' They had long-barreled weapons in their hands."

SHOULD WE ALSO SAY 'WE WERE DECEIVED'?

Stating that when they entered the General Staff at 00:17, Fırat Alakuş, who welcomed them, said that the Chief of General Staff and the 2nd Chief had gone to Akıncı safely, and that he himself had given his personnel instructions not to use weapons under any circumstances, Murat Korkmaz continued:

"While I was waiting in the guard booth with my weapon pointed at the ground, I spoke with my wife. Meanwhile, one of my soldiers, Vahit Güllü, came and said, 'Commander, what is happening? Fırat Alakuş sent me to the side of the Chief of General Staff and the 2nd Chief's bodyguards. They are talking strangely. What are we doing?' A few minutes earlier, I had seen on the internet that Zekai Aksakallı had connected to NTV and TGRT and said, 'Those at the General Staff are FETÖ members. They are coup plotters.' Even though he called everyone that night, why didn't he call me and inform me that he had dismissed Fırat Alakuş if he knew he was attempting a coup? Let him come and explain here. I went to Fırat Alakuş and asked what was happening and said, 'I am pulling my men out, I don't want to be involved in this game.' Fırat Alakuş replied, 'We may have been drawn into a trap. I did the duty I was given, I sent the first chief to a safe place.' Afterwards, I made my personnel passive, and the next day we surrendered of our own will."

Murat Korkmaz, who also claimed that Zekai Aksakallı had sent a battalion and given the order to kill them, but that the Chief of General Staff had prevented this, pointed out that although Aksakallı had filed criminal complaints against many defendants by name and by specifying events regarding July 15, he never mentioned himself and his personnel, saying, "This is a message of 'You don't touch me, and I won't touch you.'"

Korkmaz emphasized that for 9 years he had been asking where the M4 infantry rifle, for which he also provided the serial number, was and whether a ballistic examination had been performed, and that finally, the court where he was being tried in another case wrote to the ÖKK, and in the response given on May 23, 2023, it was reported that "the list of weapons/equipment and materials sent by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for ballistic examination could not be determined, but that the M4 infantry rifle with serial number ………. was among the materials delivered to the 2nd Special Forces Brigade Command by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office."

Murat Korkmaz concluded his defense with these words:

"I stand behind the order I gave to my personnel. If Murat Korkmaz gives an order, it is definitely carried out, and Zekai Aksakallı ordered this, everyone knows. Our commanders did not stand by us, they did not come here; but I am responsible for these children. The responsibility belongs to me. I will carry the responsibility for them for the rest of my life. Zekai Aksakallı could have at least said, 'I did not give these orders, they did it on their own.' If so, Aksakallı deceived Fırat Alakuş, Alakuş deceived me, and I deceived these children. I don't know if there are FETÖ members among them; but I gave the order. And I stand by my order. Did those who gave us orders stand by us? If only Hulusi Akar and Zekai Aksakallı would give a statement, even from afar. Then let us say, 'We were also deceived,' and ask for forgiveness from these children. Am I the one damaging the spirit of obedience in the military? I am standing by my soldiers, but our commanders do not come here and explain what happened. My final word; long live the homeland."

Korkmaz's lawyer, Ayten İzmirli, said, "Okay, they were very busy during the first trials. Yaşar Güler is still busy, but Hulusi Akar is now an ordinary member of parliament, and Zekai Aksakallı is retired. Let them come and answer our questions. Let Hakan Fidan also be heard." After saying this, she told the court panel:

"After July 15, all of Adnan Tanrıverdi's requests regarding the TSK were realized. Does not a single question mark form in your mind?"

Müyesser YILDIZ 

July 28, 2025