| Summary: | Following the Armistice of Mudros, Southern
Anatiolia was occupied by Britain and then by the French army. Especially
during the French occupation, the French forces tried to create an Armenian
majority in the region. Along with the Armenian battalions in the French army,
the majority of the local Armenians were acting together with the French. The
Sivas Congress, which was convened in the days when the French reached up to
the region, also emphasized the French-Armenian alliance and the Armenian
targets regarding the region. While the Congress decided that all the
resistance organizations in the country should be attached to the Delegation of
Representatives in Sivas, it has also underlined that more attention and
importance should be given to the organizations in Southern Anatolia. In
particular, the dangers in the cities of Maraş and Antep were emphasized and
various directives were given to the Muslim auctions of these cities in order
to prevent these threats. Together with these, Kılıç Ali Bey was appointed as
"Commander of National Forces at Maraş and Antep Regions" by Mustafa
Kemal Pasha and sent to the region. Kılıç Ali, who will later become one of the
closest people to Mustafa Kemal Paşa from Sivas Congress to his death, served
directly to Mustafa Kemal Pasha in the region. Kılıç Ali, who arrived Elbistan
on October 21, 1919, commanded the defenses in Maraş and Antep regions for 7
months until June 4, 1920 and tried to strengthen national forces against
French-Armenian troops. In this article, the activities of Kılıç Ali in the
defense of Maraş and Antep and his relations with the local people will be
examined.
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