Ali İhsan Sâbis

Ali İhsan Pasha (1882 – 9 December 1957) was the commander for the Sixth Army of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. After the war he was exiled to Malta by the British occupation forces. After returning to Turkey, he was appointed to the commandship of the First Army of Turkey. But shortly before the battle of Dumlupınar, he retired. During World War II, Pasha, director for the pro-Nazi Türkische Post, was court-martialed and imprisoned for 15 months for sending threatening letters against President İsmet İnönü for taking an increasingly anti-German stance. In 1941, Hitler personally invited him and Hüseyin Hüsnü Emir Erkilet to the Eastern Front, albeit Ali Ilhsan was replaced by General Ali Fuad Erden.

World War I

In February 1916, he was assigned as the commander of the Ottoman XIII Corps, which had a considerable role in the successful Siege of Kut. In 1918, his army was defeated by the British forces and he surrendered the remains of the 6th Army in October 1918 at the Battle of Sharqat, allowing the British to occupy Mosul in early November.

Armenian genocide Mustafa Kemal's visit to Çay in the morning of 31 March 1922 during the Turkish War of Independence. Ali İhsan Pasha can be seen on the far right. Ali İhsan is also known for his role in the Armenian genocide. While carrying his duties as commander of the 51st division, the Armenians that belonged to those units were murdered outright. When he took command of the 4th army, Ali Ihsan played a crucial role in the forceful exhaustion and starvation of Armenians, which accounted for the lives of tens and thousands.

Ali Ihsan Sabis was appointed the head of the 6th army and was tasked to enter Iran where he besieged the Armenian contingents in the area who were led by General Andranik Ozanian. He had also warned the local chieftains that they would be killed if Armenian refugees were hiding under their protection.