Ä°lker BaÅŸbuÄŸ

Mehmet İlker Başbuğ ( born April 29, 1943 in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey ) was a Turkish general and on August 30, 2008 to August 30, 2010 Turkish Chief of General Staff, and thus the 26th commander of the Turkish armed forces since the end of the Ottoman Empire.

Life

Başbuğ was born claims to be the son of immigrants from Bitola in the western Turkish province of Afyonkarahisar. His grandfather had migrated from Karaman to Bitola. 1961 left İlker Başbuğ Turkish Army Academy as an infantry officer. Until 1970, he served in various units of the army. In 1973 he went to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium, where he commander of the 247th Infantry Regiment of the 51st Infantry Brigade among others. From there he went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He was appointed brigadier general in 1993 and to major general in 1989. Then he went back to SHAPE and remained until 1995. Subsequently, the promotion followed to lieutenant general.

He was appointed General in 2002 and was deputy commander of the army until he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff in 2003. From 2005 to 2006 he was commander of the 1st Army and eventually became 30 August 2008 Chief of Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. His predecessor Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt went with the inauguration of Başbuğ to retire. His successor was 8 August 2010 Işık Koşaner.

On January 6, 2012 Başbuğ, who is retired since August 30, 2010, was arrested and brought to the prison in Silivri, near Istanbul, on suspicion of setting up and managing the in Turkey classified as a terrorist organization Ergenekon organization. Başbuğ dismissed the allegations.

On August 5, 2013 Başbuğ was sentenced by a meeting in the prison complex court to life imprisonment. On his website, he left in a first opinion, declare that the nation would this have the last word. After 26 months in prison he was released on 07 March 2014 from the high- security prison in Silivri.

Başbuğ is married and has two children.