Zekai Aksakallı, who was promoted to brigadier general from the position of Tank Staff Colonel Command after the Supreme Military Council in 2009, was promoted to the rank of Major General in 2013. General Staff Special Forces Commander Major General Zekai Aksakallı, who reacted to the July 15 coup attempt by responding with the statement, "The bandits will not be successful," was promoted to lieutenant general within the scope of the Supreme Military Council decisions.
One of the most critical targets on the night of the coup attempt was the Special Forces Command. Zekai, who overturned the putschists' plans to conquer the Special Forces Command, with his orders, valso succeeded in getting rid of the ambush of the coup troops.
Ambush for Aksakallı
On the evening of July 15, Zekai, who was at a wedding with his wife at Gazi Officer's Club, realized that there was an unusual situation from incoming calls. As he was preparing to leave the Gazi Officers Club, he called his staff and alarmed them. Immediately taking action to leave the Officer's Club, he was able to leave the building with his wife despite the preclusion efforts of some soldiers. His staff car, which was moving toward Çukurambar, was suddenly intercepted. In this event that resembled an action movie, two soldiers came out of their vehicles and approached the staff car. Zekai kicked the soldier who was trying to drag him out of the car, closed the doors,and managed to escape the ambush with his staff car.
At the time, Zekai was not informed that the Special Forces Headquarters in Gölbaşı had been under control of the putschist personnel. A Special Forces Command helicopter opened fire at approaching people trying to get there. The putschist team in the headquarters was waiting for commands and the arrival of Semih Terzi, who was traveling from Silopi to Diyarbakır, then to Ankara via helicopter.
Martyrdom order to Halisdemir
Receiving the information regarding Brigadier Semih Terzi’s arrival at Ankara after he escaped from that attempt, Zekai called his subordinates, who were in Ankara, one by one. He said, “Semih Terzi is coming to capture the headquarters,” and ordered them to immediately go to headquarters. Zekai, who called noncommissioned officer Master Sergeant Ömer Halisdemir who was on duty at the Special Forces Headquarters in Gölbaşı, ordered, “Brigadier Semih Terzi is a traitor. Kill him before he gets into the headquarters! As you know, there is martyrdom at the end of this. Renounce your rights.” Halisdemir’s response was comprised of the following two phrases, “Yes sir! I renounce my rights to you. You do the same.”
After receiving the order to “Kill Semih Terzi,” noncommissioned Officer Ömer Halisdemir went down to the garden, hid behind a tree and began waiting. In those moments, two helicopters landed on the heliport and Brigadier Semih Terzi descended on of them. Terzi was walking with Special Forces member soldiers towards the headquarters. When the 15-men squad came on the line with the tree behind which Ömer Halisdemir had been hiding, Master Sergeant Ömer Halisdemir came out of his hideout and quickly approached Semih Terzi without saying anything. He put his gun against the putschist soldier’s head and fired twice.
With the strategical move of Zekai, coup plotters were psychologically dispirited. Rebels that took over the headquarters surrendered after a long conflict. After a while, the headquarters were completely back under control.
Promoted after the July 15 process, Lieutenant General Zekai Aksakallı was assigned to command the Euphrates Shield Operation carried out by the Turkish Army in Syria against Daesh, starting on August 24.
