Eşref Bitlis
Eşref Bitlis (Malatya 1933 – Ankara 17 February 1993) was a general in the Turkish Gendarmerie, who died in a controversial plane crash. Background He was born 1933 in the eastern Anatolian city of Malatya, Turkey. He attended the Turkish Military Academy, finishing it in 1952 with the rank of lieutenant. In 1966, he graduated from the War Academy of the Army (). After completing a language course in Germany, Bitlis studied further at the Academy of the Turkish Armed Forces (), graduating in 1969. Later, he was educated at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr, the highest military academy of the German armed forces. He graduated in Germany in 1973. Career Following his graduation in Germany in 1973, Bitlis returned home and served one year as head teacher at the War Academy of the Army. In 1978, Eşref Bitlis was promoted to brigadier general and appointed commander of the 2nd Commando Brigade in Bolu, a mountain warfare specialized unit. After becoming a major general in 1978, he assumed the command of the 28th Infantry Division, headquartered in the Paşaköy village of Nicosia, Cyprus. In 1986, he advanced to the rank of a lieutenant general. Bitlis was appointed commander of the Cyprus