Veteran of Cyprus Peace Operation shares tank heroics on 52nd anniversary

Seventy‑three‑year‑old Abdulkadir Kurt, a former tank driver from Van, recounted his unit’s arduous advance through the Beşparmak Mountains during the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation. He described how the tank struck an anti‑tank mine, the crew was wounded, and the vehicle remained suspended for half an hour before catching fire. Kurt said the men prayed for strength and continued the mission despite injuries, comparing their resolve to the spirit of Çanakkale. On the operation’s 52nd anniversary, Erciş officials visited his home, where he keeps photographs, medals and other memorabilia.

Pilot Ali Karaçoban wrote a column urging the authorities to add the names of two air‑force officers, Üsteğmen Türker Aydın and Üsteğmen İbrahim Çınar, to the Cyprus Martyrs Monument in Kyrenia. He detailed Aydın’s death on 18 July 1974 when his F‑100 aircraft hit a barrier, and Çınar’s fatal crash on 23 July after a blackout‑forced take‑off. Karaçoban noted that while other fallen pilots are listed, these two are absent, and he called the omission a moral injustice during the 50th‑year commemorations.