Mahmud Kâmil Pasha (1880 – 28 November 1922) was a general of the

Ottoman Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

. He was born in Haleb (

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

) and died in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Career

Mahmud Kamil was born in

Halab Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

to a notable

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

family. On 22 December 1914, Kâmil was appointed as the commander of the Second Army. On 17 February 1915, he was appointed as the commander of the 3rd Army in the eastern Anatolia, later assigned to 5th Army. During this time, he participated in the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

. He issued directives ordering the deportation of all of the remaining Armenians in the city of

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

. He issued special orders not to spare the old, sick, or pregnant women. Kâmil commanded the 3rd Army until the fall of the key fortress of Erzurum in February 1916, after which he was relieved of command. After the

armistice of Mudros The Armistice of Mudros () ended hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between Ottoman Turkey and the Allies of World War I. It was signed on 30 October 1918 by the Ottoman Minister of Marine Affairs Rauf Bey and British Admiral Somerset ...

the allied administration established with the

occupation of Constantinople The occupation of Istanbul () or occupation of Constantinople (12 November 1918 – 4 October 1923), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, by British, French, Italian, and Greek forces, took place in accordance with the Armistice of Mudros, w ...

arrested him and become one of the Malta exiles. He was later released. In June 1922, he resigned due to an illness. He killed himself later that year.

References

1880 births 1922 suicides 1922 deaths Armenian genocide perpetrators Military personnel from Aleppo Ottoman Military Academy alumni Ottoman Military College alumni Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars Ottoman Army generals Pashas Ottoman military personnel of World War I Exiles from the Ottoman Empire Malta exiles Suicides in Turkey Military personnel of the Ottoman Empire who died by suicide 20th-century Ottoman military personnel {{Ottoman-bio-stub