Çevik Bir

[1] After the dictator Siad Barre’s ousting, conflicts between the General Mohammed Farah Aidid party and other clans in Somalia had led to famine and lawlessness throughout the country.

Çevik Bir, who was then a lieutenant-general of Turkey, became the force commander of UNOSOM II in April 1993.

Çevik Bir became the Turkish army's deputy chief of general staff shortly after the Somali operation and played a vital role in establishing a Turkish-Israeli entente.

On 12 April 2012, Bir and 30 other officers were taken in custody for their role in the 1997 military memorandum that forced the then Turkish government, led by the Refah Partisi (Welfare Party), to step down.

Çevik Bir, one of the generals who planned the process, said "In Turkey we have a marriage of Islam and democracy.